NASHVILLE (TN)
Bpatist News Global
August 6, 2019
By Bob Allen
Jacop Hazlett, arrested last November for allegedly sexually abusing a 3-year-old boy at the Charleston campus of the multi-site NewSpring Church, faces 10 new charges of sexual exploitation of and criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
The charges relate to five newly identified alleged victims, raising the total number to 15. Hazlett now faces a total of 23 indictments.
While watching a group of preschoolers on Nov. 25 last year, Hazlett allegedly escorted a 3-year-old to the bathroom, where he sexually assaulted him. After learning of the allegation, church leaders reviewed security camera footage monitoring the day-care area and found 14 separate incidents where Hazlett allegedly molested boys in the children’s bathroom.
Authorities at the time said there might be other victims, because the church only kept archived video for 90 days.
NewSpring Church, a multi-site megachurch started in 2000 as a church plant by the South Carolina Baptist Convention, faces multiple lawsuits in connection with the alleged crimes.
The most recent, filed May 21 in the Charleston County Court of Common Pleas, claims NewSpring Church failed to properly vet Hazlett, adhere to safety protocols or adequately train and supervise employees and volunteers.
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