Scottsdale church hires private firm to examine sex abuse claims

By Uriel J. Garcia
AZCentral
April 30, 2018

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/scottsdale/2018/04/30/scottsdale-bible-church-hires-private-firm-examine-sex-abuse-claims/566478002/

The Highlands Church on East Pinnacle Peak Road in North Scottsdale is nearing completition. Les Hughey, Senior Pastor, left and Mark Yule, Pastor of Adult Ministires are involved in the oversight of the project. Photo by Dave Seibert

A photo of Les Hughey on the Highlands Church website. The pastor is accused of sexually abusing four women while he worked as a youth pastor for a California church in the 1980s.

A Scottsdale church has hired a private firm to investigate sexual misconduct allegations levied against a pastor who has resigned from his most recent post last week, according to a statement on the church's web site.

Les Hughey, 64, who is the founder of the Highlands Community Church in north Scottsdale and has since stepped down as executive pastor, has been accused by women of sexual abuse during his time as youth pastor at Scottsdale Bible Church in the 1980s and '90s.

Scottsdale Bible Church said in its statement that church leaders hired a firm called Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, also known as GRACE, to conduct an independent investigation. 

GRACE is a Virginia-based non-profit organization founded in 2003 by Basyle ‘Boz’ Tchividjian, a law professor at Liberty University and a grandson of the late Billy Graham.

Hughey worked at Scottsdale Bible church from 1985 to 1996 before moving on to found the Highlands Community Church.

"As a church, we care deeply about any and all people who have put their trust in (Scottsdale Bible Church's) pastors over the years, and it is our priority to discern what happened and respond with tangible help," the statement says. "We are praying God will shine a light in the darkness and bring truth and healing to all those affected by this situation."

The statement also asks anyone who wants to share their story or information related to the investigation to contact GRACE at amy@netgrace.org.

Hughey came under scrutiny after The Modesto Bee, a California newspaper, published an article on April 21 in which Hughey said he had sex with girls in his church in Modesto while he was married and a youth pastor in Modesto's First Baptist Church in the 1970s.

At least three women since have filed complaints with Scottsdale police.

Two of the women reported that Hughey groped their breasts or genitals during full-body massages, Hoster said. The third reported that Hughey asked her for a massage but did not assault her, he said.

All three women said Hughey used his position of authority to take advantage of them.

In interviews with The Arizona Republic, two of the women described incidents where Hughey groped their genitals during a full body massage while he was the leader of the youth group at Scottsdale Bible Church. One of the women was only 16 at the time. 

Scottsdale police have said investigators will forward two of the complaints to the appropriate law enforcement agencies because the reported incidents happened outside of the department's jurisdiction. 

Sgt. Ben Hoster, a Scottsdale police spokesman, said one report outlines an inappropriate situation but stops short of accusing Hughey of assault. The others involve incidents the women said happened outside of Scottsdale, such as on a mission trip to Mexico or during a Prescott retreat, Hoster said.

At least a total of seven women have publicly accused Hughey of sexual assault or misconduct.

Highlands officials previously said the church was not aware of the allegations until Hughey gave them a written statement after being contacted by The Bee. 

In the statement, Hughey admitted to having "sinned'' during his time at First Baptist Church in Modesto by having "consensual relations" with college-age staff. He was married and in his 20s at the time, one of the victims said.