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News 12
SPRING VALLEY –
A former youth minister in Spring Valley was arraigned yesterday and charged with two misdemeanors for allegedly giving alcohol to a teenager.
Police say Earnest Zalamea has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and unlawfully providing alcohol to a 16-year-old from the St. Joseph’s parish. He was released on $200 bail and ordered to avoid contact with the victim.
Robert Hoaston, a former priest and now an advocate who assists victims of church abuse, tells News 12 that he feels like there is too much secrecy surrounding this case, and he doesn’t like how the church is handling it.
“If he’s giving alcohol to minors, he is a predator,” Hoaston says. “When the church doesn’t talk about things, like this guy getting fired, there is trouble.”
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