SANTA FE– According to court documents, Robert Apodaca’s alleged abuse of minors dates back to 2019.

Documents show a church elder called police in June 2021 to report what a family in his congregation told him about past abuse of their son.

Santa Fe police started an official investigation in July, and found that the family knew Apodaca as a minister in their congregation, and allowed their then twelve-year-old son to spend time alone with him.

Detectives said, and documents show, Apodaca admitted to about ten incidents of sexual contact with the victim, at his house, in his car, in public when people weren’t around, and in Albuquerque.

The child was also a student at Gonzales Community School at the time of the abuse in 2019, where Apodaca also worked.

Police arrested Apodaca on July 15, 2021, for three counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor in the second…