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	Man Testifies Fresno Pastor Abused Him Preacher Is on Trial in Sex Crimes against Two Girls By Chris Collins Fresno Bee January 10, 2008 http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/315991.html James, a 23-year-old Seattle man, says that the most terrifying moment in his life occurred while he was resting on a couch in pastor Charles Dickerson's home one night in July 2000. The man, who identified himself only as "James R.," testified in Fresno County Superior Court on Thursday that he was 16 when Dickerson — then a pastor at a church in an eastern Washington state town — molested him as he was about to go to sleep on a couch. He said Dickerson moved his hand up James' leg and then orally copulated him. James said he tried to pretend to be asleep. "I was scared, very scared," he told the jury. "It was a very, very uncomfortable and fearful moment for me. Probably the most fearful point in my life. I figured I would just stay still and maybe he would just leave me alone." James had reported the alleged incident to local police in Washington in 2000, but Dickerson was never charged. Years later, Dickerson was accused of sexually abusing two girls and raping one of them three times. He was charged with seven felonies and is now on trial. James' testimony came during the second day of the rape and molestation trial as prosecutors try to show that Dickerson, now pastor of Pearly Grove Baptist Church in southwest Fresno, has a history of molesting minors. The girls are relatives of Dickerson's. The Bee has a policy of not identifying alleged victims of sexual abuse. In March, one of the girls testified in a preliminary hearing that when she was younger than 10, Dickerson started molesting her. Later, the girl said, after she became pregnant by another man, Dickerson raped her in his bathroom. But two months ago, the two girls recanted and now say the abuse never occurred. Prosecutor Art Corona, however, has said that recantations are not uncommon in sexual abuse cases even when the allegations are true. But Dickerson's defense attorney, Glenn LoStracco, says the accusations have always been false and were made up by Dickerson's now-estranged wife and the two girls because they were unhappy with Dickerson's strict rules. During his cross-examination of James on Thursday, LoStracco suggested that James, too, had a grudge against Dickerson because he was not allowed to participate in church activities. But James denied having any hard feelings toward Dickerson before the alleged molestation. Dickerson, the California state overseer for Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, has been a vocal leader in southwest Fresno since he moved there with his family in 2001. He has frequently called for an end to street violence, once standing beside Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer at a news conference. But members of Pearly Grove Baptist Church are divided over whether to back their preacher. Some have said that fellow church members are blindly following Dickerson instead of God. Dickerson's estranged wife, Jeneen Dickerson, testified Thursday that Dickerson was often abusive during their marriage, and that he had threatened to kill her — though she seemed reluctant to admit it. At one point during her testimony, she interrupted Corona's questions about the abuse and said, "Can I ask a question? Is this relevant right now?" Jeneen Dickerson said she never reported the abuse because her husband "was the pastor, and you don't report stuff like that about people in leadership." Later, however, under questioning from LoStracco, she said she didn't report the violence because it was a personal matter. In June 2006, Jeneen Dickerson said, the two girls told her they had been sexually abused. She said she believed the girls' story until they recanted. She said she told the District Attorney's Office she did not want to testify, but was subpoenaed. After hearing about the allegations, Jeneen Dickerson at first stopped attending Charles Dickerson's church but has since returned, she said. A woman who baby-sat the two girls testified Thursday that the girls also initially stopped attending the church, but one returned in early 2007 and the other returned last summer. The reporter can be reached at ccollins@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6412.
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