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Ex-Spring Valley church youth minister charged with providing minor with alcohol
By Steve Lieberman
[with video] SPRING VALLEY - A 26-year-old Yonkers man faces misdemeanor charges of providing an underage parishioner of St. Joseph's Church with alcohol after he was fired as the church's youth minister. Ernest Zalamea faces counts of endangering the welfare of a child and first-degree unlawfully dealing with a child for giving alcohol to a person under 21, the legal age to drink in New York state. Zalamea was arraigned Tuesday in Spring Valley Justice Court and released after posting $200 bail pending future appearances in court. Zalamea is accused of buying a six pack of beer at the 7-11 store at 63 Kennedy Dr. on July 19 and sharing the alcohol with a 16-year-old boy he knew from the church. The minor told Spring Valley Police Detective Philip Fantasia on Sept. 7 that Zalamea then drove them across the street to the Spring Valley High School parking lot, where they drank the beers, according to court documents. The Rev. Levelt Germain, the church's senior pastor, said Wednesday that Zalamea had been fired for insubordination before he allegedly shared beers with the teenager and before police arrested him in early September, Germain said. Germain said Zalamea had worked as a youth minister since September 2016. Germain said the church did a background check on Zalamea before hiring him. Germain said Zalamea made a financial decision with church funds without authorization while Germainwas away and that led to a confrontation and his dismissal. "We knew he was under investigation," Germain said at the church Wednesday. "The detective on the case kept us abreast of the details. He was let go before he was charged. This had nothing to do with the church other than the other person involved." Germain said the church didn't inform parents about Zalamea's dismissal at the time because he was not charged with a crime and the reason for this firing was an internal issue and didn't involved any parishioners. He said since Zalamea has been arraigned, the church will reach out to parishioners. Robert Hoatson, co-founder and president of the Road to Recovery, exposed Zalamea's arrest during a Wednesday news conference in front of the church on North Main Street in the village. The New Jersey-based organization usually focuses on survivors of sexual abuse and the church. Hoatson, who said he was a former priest, called providing alcohol to a minor a "predatory" act. He accused the church and the Archdiocese of New York of covering up for Zalamea, whom he said also worked at the Marian Shrine in Haverstraw and taught music at a church in Yonkers. He said the church has not been transparent about Zalamea. He said he became more suspicious when the charges were not mentioned publicly in court and police declined to provide him with information. "We've gotten calls from people who know the victims," Hoatson said, adding he has not spoken with the teenager or anyone who claims to be a victim. "There's a lack of transparency involving the church." Fantasia and Police Chief Paul Modia didn't return telephone calls for comment. The New York Archdiocese issued a statement through Germain said that policies were followed concerning Zalamea. The statement says the archdiocese is cooperating with the investigation and "we will withhold any further comment until the completion of those proceedings." Zalamea, who gave the police an address of Remsen Circle in Yonkers, didn't reply to a message left on his Facebook page. A message was left for his father, Ernie Zalamea, principal of Holy Cross School in the Bronx. The younger Zalamea promotes himself as a music teacher. His Facebook page says he went to Fordham Preparatory School and later studied vocal performance/opera at Mannes School of Music and vocal performances/choral music education and Catholic University of America. Contact: slieberm@lohud.com
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