CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles Times
By Richard Winton
September 19, 2013
An associate pastor at a church in Norwalk arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting 20 female parishioners may have many more victims who’ve yet to be identified, authorities said Thursday.
Jorge Juan Castro, 53, was arrested Friday on allegations that during his eight years as associate pastor at Las Buenas Nuevas Church in Norwalk he assaulted the parishioners.
Detectives said of the 20 alleged victims have provided investigators with detailed accounts of sex acts that the pastor told were neccesary for his “healing hands.”
LA County Sheriff officials said detectives, who began their investigation April 8, believe there may be additional victims from the Norwalk church and a second location where Castro was sent to preach.
“He has a large number of victims and we suspect there are more. We’d like many more of those victims to come forward to us. They have nothing to fear,” said Sheriff’s Capt Robert Esson, who oversees the sheriff’s Special Victims Unit.
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