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Tag: Religious

1407: Daniel Merrick

Child Sexual Abuse Material
Cajsa LilliehookLeave a comment

Daniel Merrick is a Messianic Jewish (Christian) pastor, musician, former Christian television host, and a songwriter in Smethport, Pennsylvania. He has also been charged with more than 800 counts relating to child sexual abuse material. Specifically, he is charged with 570 counts of child pornography — involving indecent contact, second-degree felonies; 316 counts of child pornography — involving nudity, third-degree felonies; and one count of criminal use of a communications facility, a third-degree felony.

1406: Michael Tait

Assault, Grooming, Sexual Assault, Sexual Battery
Cajsa LilliehookLeave a comment

Michael Tait is a contemporary Christian music star with nearly twenty albums of Christian rock music. He was one of the Evangelicals for Trump who rallied to support him. He also was one of the evangelicals who prayed for him publicly after the Ukraine scandal was revealed. He signed a letter denouncing Christianity Today for criticizing Trump over Ukraine.

He is on hiatus after three men came forward alleging he had groomed and sexually assaulted them, allegations Tait has said are “largely true.”

1401: John Denzel

Child Sexual Abuse Material
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John Denzel was the “safe environment manager” for St. Brigid of Kildare, a Catholic school in Dublin, Ohio. In that role, he did background checks on potential employees and volunteers. He also did sexual abuse awareness training for staff, parents, and volunteers. The Internet Archive has a description of the program that used to be on the schools site. He had worked at the school for many years in different roles, including providing supervision for “latchkey” kids. He was fired in 2024 after his arrest for fifteen charges relating to child sexual abuse material.

1400: David G. McConkie

Child Molestation, Child Rape
Cajsa LilliehookLeave a comment

David G. McConkie was a deputy district attorney and the president of the Colorado Springs East Stake of the Mormon Church. He left the D.A.’s office for private practice. In 2023, he was arrested for sexual assault of a child. He was charged with two counts of sexually assaulting a child for nine years, from 2004 to 2013, beginning when the child was an infant. He will serve no jail time thanks to a plea agreement that allowed him to plead guilty to one count of attempting to sexual assault a child. He was sentenced in July, 2025.

1386:

Child Rape
Cajsa LilliehookLeave a comment

Matthew Henry Laparra was the Worship Team Director at Trinity Worship Center in Burlington, North Carolina until 2024.

In April 2025, he was arrested for three felony counts of statutory rape and two felony counts of indecent liberties with a child.

1303: Leo Riley

Abuse of Power or Authority, Child Indecency, Child Molestation
Cajsa LilliehookLeave a comment

In 2024, the police have five former altar boys who have come forward and the statute of limitations has changed to reflect the fact that most people do not report they were abused as children until far into adulthood. Only 8% of victims report within a year.

1276: Christopher Ballard

Child Endangerment, Child Exploitation, Child Indecency, Child Molestation, Sexual Assault
Cajsa LilliehookLeave a comment

Christopher J. Ballard was a teacher at Journey Academy, a Christian school in Centennial, Colorado. He was arrested in early March 2024 after the director of the Academy went to police alleging a child was sexually assaulted on May 2nd, that children were forced to watch Child Sexual Abuse Material, and that children were forced to run naked as punishment.