ARIZONA
AZCentral
Bree Burkitt and Ryan Santistevan, The Republic
April 22, 2018
A Scottsdale pastor has been placed on leave following allegations that he sexually abused teenage girls under his supervision at a California church decades ago.
The allegations surfaced Saturday after multiple women told the Modesto Bee that Les Hughey — who founded Highlands Community Church in north Scottsdale — victimized them while he was working as a youth pastor at a Modesto, California church in the 1970s.
In response to the report, Hughey issued a statement saying he had “sinned” during his time at First Baptist Church. But he said he had only had “consensual relations with fellow college-aged staff.”
“Because the allegations are from more than 40 years ago, it will take some time to get a clear picture,” Doug Milligan, a Highlands Community Church official, said in a statement Sunday. “We are concerned about the well-being of all people affected by these events.”
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