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Posted by Deb Belt (Editor) , August 14, 2013

A religious leader called by a family to help a teenager with problems has been charged with sexually assaulting the teen and her mother during a ritual ceremony in their home, according to the Johnston Police Department.

Nermin Spahic, 40, of Urbandale was arrested and taken to the Polk County Jail on charges of third-degree sexual abuse and sexual exploitation by a clergy. Police said Spahic is an imam — a Muslim religious leader – at the Islamic and Cultural Center Bosniak.

According to Lt. Lynn Aswegan with the Johnston Police Department, the incident began at about 10 p.m. Aug. 12 when officers were called to a Johnston home on a report of a sexual assault in progress. The person who called police said she had received text messages from a friend claiming that she was at home…