Dover-area church youth leader indicted on 89-counts of child sex abuse

DELAWARE
Delaware Online

August 25, 2020

By Esteban Parra

A 34-year-old Hartly man has been indicted on 89 charges he was involved in sexual relationships with two teenage girls who were members of a church youth group he’d been leading for the past three years.

Word of the sexual liaison came to light when John C. Sapp Jr. contacted Maranatha Fellowship church’s lead pastor in February requesting to “immediately meet with him,” according to court documents. It was during this meeting, at Sapp’s house with his wife there, that the youth leader confessed to “inappropriately touching” a girl.

Maranatha Fellowship did not immediately respond to messages sent to the church on Monday.

Delaware State Police investigators questioned the girl Sapp had mentioned.

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