A church in Collin County is the target of allegations over sexual abuse that involve more than two dozen victims and a church leader who has been fired.
The Church Eleven 32 in Allen two former pastors are named as defendants. The details are spelled out in a lawsuit and other court documents say one of the pastors was fired after one of the parents of a victim walked in during an instance that involved her child.
“I witnessed something happening and that’s what started the whole thing” said Becky Metchler, parent of one of the children named in the suit. Most of the victims named in the suit are now adults.
The suit alleges the former pastor, who was in charge of the church’s intern program, engaged in abusive sexual behavior at several church campuses and on trips.” the suit says. “Sexual predators “often groom their victims by and through a purposeful and slow process, methodically taking steps to ingratiate themselves to the victim and gain their trust. The predators manipulate the victims, by appearing to be kind and helpful, and masking their ulterior motives of taking advantage of a child’s needs and innocence.”
The lawsuit says “Church Eleven 32, knew or should have known that [the pastor] was a sexual predator engaging in sexual contact and sexual exploitation for many years prior to the termination of his employment with Church Eleven 32, and they took no action to reasonably protect the Plaintiffs (and other victims).”
Once the allegations became public, victims began coming forward, an attorney said.
“I think that the church admits that there were at least a total of 25 to 30 overall.” said Frank Hill, the lawyer who filed the suit.
Phone calls and e-mail sent to the church and its attorney were not immediately returned. A letter included in the court file from a former attorney says "nothing can take away the pain these terrible events has caused your family and particularly your son."
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