TWIN FALLS (ID)
KMVT [Twin Falls, ID]
August 4, 2023
By Brittany Cooper
A former youth pastor accused of child sexual abuse is facing a slew of felony charges.
31-year-old Dakota Kennemer was a youth pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Twin Falls.
He is being investigated for an inappropriate relationship with a minor between the years of 2019 and 2022.
According to court documents, the pastor and three deacons met with Kennemer to address the allegations in December 2022 and he admitted to sexually touching the victim.
He subsequently was fired.
In early January, a Twin Falls Police officer met with the pastor to learn about these alleged acts.
Police obtained a search warrant on March 29, 2023 and seized some of Kennemer’s possessions and found explicit photos of the victim.
The officer wrote in her report because of the nature of the crimes, she was concerned there would be more juvenile victims. She recovered more than 13,000 text messages he had with a teenage girl, in what she deemed a nurturing relationship, following the passing of the girl’s father.
In a new case filed Wednesday, a Twin Falls grand jury indicted Kennemer on two counts of sexual battery of a minor child, 16 or 17 years of age. On Thursday, he made his initial appearance in felony magistrate court and was bound over to district court for arraignment on August 21.
Kennemer posted bail after his bond was set at $100,000.
Back on June 30th, Kennemer was charged with one count of sexual battery of a child due to lewd and lascivious acts.
He posted bail following a $75,000 bond, and is due back in court on August 18 for a preliminary hearing in magistrate court.