NEW JERSEY
NJ.com
By Mark Mueller and Enrique Lavin | NJ Advance Media, For NJ.com
An evangelical preacher wanted by authorities in New Jersey for molesting a teenage boy and for allegedly abusing three other young men has been accused by a parishioner of groping a teen in Nicaragua, where the fugitive had been in hiding, according to church officials there.
Gregorio Martinez, whose flight from justice was profiled in a special report by NJ Advance Media in May, allegedly groped a 15-year-old boy in Estelí, Nicaragua, earlier this year, said Pedro Matamoros, the pastor of the church where Martinez lived for about seven months.
Martinez, 48, left the city Feb. 1, after Matamoros learned of his past and confronted him, the pastor said. Later in February, the alleged victim’s mother told the pastor Martinez had touched her son inappropriately in January, Matamoros said in a recent interview. Martinez remains at large.
Enrique Osorio, who presides over a council of Pentecostal churches in the city, confirmed the allegation had been lodged and said he reported it to the national police in Nicaragua.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.