February 05, 2005

Prosecutor: Pastor Seduced Victim

NEWARK (OH)
The Advocate

By Erik Johns
Advocate Reporter

NEWARK -- A local prosecutor described a two-year relationship between a Hebron pastor and his teenage parishioner as a love affair that included hand-holding and romance.

"He and (the victim) actually had a love affair," Licking County Assistant Prosecutor Melinda Seeds said Friday. "He completely seduced her."

A Licking County grand jury on Friday indicted Lonny J. Aleshire Jr., 34, of 503 E. Main St., Hebron, on seven felony sex abuse charges involving two teenage sisters, including one count of rape by force. Aleshire also faces three misdemeanor counts involving the youngest girl, now 15.

Seeds says she plans to seek more charges from a grand jury next week.

Authorities allege the rape occurred last June in a hallway at the Licking Baptist Church, 1380 Beaver Run Road, Hebron, where Aleshire is the associate pastor. The victim in that case is the older sister of the girl who reportedly had the two-year relationship.

The older sister, now 17, told authorities what had happened.

Aleshire faces six counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, third-degree felonies, three counts of sexual imposition, third-degree misdemeanors, and one count of rape by force, a first-degree felony.

Posted by kshaw at February 5, 2005 06:42 AM