A 56 year-old ordained church pastor has been sent to jail for 6 months after a jury convicted him of endangering the welfare of a child.
The man, originally from Samoa, was also fined $1,000 by Chief Justice Michael Kruse Friday.
Samoa News reports that according to information revealed in court during the pastor’s jury trial last month, the defendant is the victim’s biological father; however, the victim was adopted by another family when she was born.
The man, whose name we are not disclosing to protect the victim’s identity, was originally charged with sodomy, first degree sexual abuse, and incest, all felonies, plus one misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child.
The jury found the pastor not guilty of sodomy, first degree sexual abuse, and incest, but convicted him of a class A misdemeanor — endangering the welfare of a child.
He was represented by Assistant Public Defenders, Rob McNeill and Ryan Anderson, while Assistant Attorney General Robert Morris was the prosecutor.
The defendant apologized to the court for his actions and immediately begged for another chance to continue his service for his church, and also to care for his wife and children.
“This is a sad case for this man and his family. We don’t know how the allegation came about against this hard working man, all we know is that my client is a loving person, a tax payer, a man who is trusted and loved by his wife, children and his church,” McNeill told the court.
Assistant AG Morris countered that this is a very serious case and the facts surrounding it were very serious.
“This defendant deserves to be sentenced to jail for the maximum sentence,” Morris said.
“The defendant placed his hand on the Bible and lied to the jury that he never touched his biological daughter in a sexual manner,” the prosecutor told the court.
And he was also scathing of the jury in this case saying they based their decision on their emotions.
“The Samoan jury then looked at this defendant as a pastor, and then delivered a not guilty verdict based on their emotion. Their decision makes me sick,” said Morris.
The pastor is now incarcerated at TCF and will not be eligible for parole during his term in jail.
