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	No Day in Court Yet for Man Accused of Raping Girl By Sarah Burge The Press-Enterprise May 28, 2011 http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_spencer28.40528c4.html A month after his arrest, a Temecula assistant pastor charged with raping a 16-year-old choirgirl has yet to make his first appearance in Riverside County court. Joseph Jermaine Spencer, 26, of Murrieta, is being held in San Bernardino County, where he is scheduled for a June 2 hearing on allegations that he violated the terms of his probation in a 2008 case in which he was convicted of sex with a minor, court records show. Spencer turned himself in to authorities in San Bernardino County last month. He has been charged with rape and other offenses in Riverside County. Authorities allege that Spencer took the 16-year-old to his Murrieta apartment April 25 and raped her while they watched television in his bedroom. The girl told a school counselor the same day. The deputy public defender representing Spencer in the San Bernardino County case could not be reached for comment. Spencer's previous conviction stems from a 2007 incident in which he had sex with a 15-year-old Fontana girl he met at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in San Bernardino, where he previously worked. Spencer pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years' probation and 180 days in jail, court records show. His jail sentence was later increased to 240 days after he failed to show up to begin serving his time, court records state. Spencer was already working at Mountain View when he was arrested in 2008 in connection with the San Bernardino County case. But it appears he had not worked continuously at Mountain View since then. Laura Jordan, a former church member, said Spencer was rehired last year and leaders failed to disclose his history to members when they chose him for the post. Murrieta police have said that, as choir director at Mountain View, Spencer was around up to 50 teenage girls despite probation terms prohibiting unsupervised contact with minors or frequenting places where they congregate. Though Spencer was living in Murrieta, the Riverside County probation office was not supervising him. Riverside County Chief Deputy Probation Officer Mark Hake said his office helped supervise Spencer as a courtesy to San Bernardino County from late 2009 until July 2010, when Spencer reportedly moved back to San Bernardino County. Hake said his office was not told Spencer had returned to Riverside County. It's unclear whether Spencer's probation officer in San Bernardino County knew he was living in Murrieta and working with children. San Bernardino County Chief Deputy Probation Officer Cyndi Fuzi said she couldn't discuss the case because of confidentiality rules. Reach Sarah Burge at 951-375-3736 or sburge@PE.com
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