TEXAS
Star-Telegram
BY SARAH SMITH
ssmith@star-telegram.com
MESQUITE
A fundamentalist Baptist church with two high-ranking members facing sexual abuse charges and a pastor charged with not reporting it has a decadeslong history of similar problems.
Robert A. Ross, the pastor of Open Door Baptist Church in Mesquite, was arrested Tuesday on charges of failing to report child abuse. He posted his $2,500 bond. Ross learned, on Feb. 1, of allegations that church member Steven Winn was sexually assaulting a 15-year-old and failed to immediately report it to police, according to a release from the Mesquite Police Department.
Open Door Baptist Church in Mesquite has had four members accused of sexual abuse in its 50-year history. Members and ex-members say a strict culture that reveres church authorities as nearly unquestionable has led to an environment conducive to ongoing abuse.
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