VIRGINIA
NBC 12
By Rachel DePompa
RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) –
Pastor Geronimo Aguilar has temporarily stepped down from his positions as President of the Board and Pastor at the Richmond Outreach Center due to child sexual abuse charges.
The move was announced in a statement from the ROC’s Board of Directors on the church’s website Thursday afternoon.
“While we believe the accusations against him to be completely untrue and unfounded, we have accepted his request for a temporary leave of absence,” the statement said. “Considering the severity of the charges, he feels and we sympathize that his family and these legal matters deserve his full attention.”
The board voted to give Aguilar a paid leave of absence, according to the statement. The ROC’s Executive Team will make day-to-day operational decisions and an outside, interim pastor will fill Aguilar’s role.
Some Richmond faith leaders called for Aguilar to step down after prosecutors in Texas charged Aguilar with seven felony counts in two child sex abuse cases. The cases involve claims by two women dating back to 1996. Four of the counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child under 14, are first degree felonies that could carry life in prison.
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