By Francis McCabe
Vegas Review-Journal
October 13, 2010
http://www.lvrj.com/news/church-pastor-pleads-not-guilty-to-sexual-abuse-of-teens-104904224.html
 |
| Billy Eckstine McCurdy is pastor at Revival Temple Church of God in Christ, at Tonopah and Vegas drives. |
A pastor of a Las Vegas church on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of sexual abuse.
Billy Eckstine McCurdy, 58, was arrested by North Las Vegas police following an eight-month investigation into allegations that he sexually assaulted teen boys at his home.
McCurdy is the pastor at Revival Temple Church of God in Christ, at Tonopah and Vegas drives.
The charges involve two boys who said McCurdy forced them into sexual relationships with him. They told police he used his position in the church and cited Bible scriptures to force them into sex acts.
Both boys testified before a grand jury that indicted McCurdy last week on six counts of sexual assault and five counts of open or gross lewdness.
He was being held at the Clark County Detention Center on $250,000 bail, according to jail records.
The charges come five years after a similar case against McCurdy was dropped by Clark County prosecutors.
In the 2005 case, North Las Vegas police arrested McCurdy after a boy told investigators the pastor tried to fondle him while they slept in the same bed at a slumber party at the pastor's house. The district attorney's office later decided not to prosecute McCurdy, citing questions about evidence in the case.
Investigators believe there could be more victims.
Police said McCurdy spent a lot of time with young people, including youth trips to Arizona and California. He also held events with young men at his home on 700 block of Heritage Cliff Ave., near Alexander Road and Revere Street in North Las Vegas, including sleep-overs.
And he often allowed teens to live with him for long periods, which was the situation with the two victims in the latest case, police said.
Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.