BishopAccountability.org
	Plea Deal for Pastor in Child Sex Abuse Case By Stockton Record Jennie Rodriguez-Moore August 6, 2011 http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110806/A_NEWS/108060323 Roger Earl Rickman, a Tracy pastor and veterans' group chaplain, on Friday accepted a plea deal to one count of sexual abuse of a child younger than 10. Rickman, who investigators say admitted to sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl, will receive 15 years to life in prison. His guilty plea was entered in a Manteca courtroom during a preliminary hearing that would have determined whether the case goes to trial. "The parents were more concerned about the young girl testifying," said Elton Grau, a prosecutor at San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office. The girl will not have to testify because of the plea. Generally, Grau said, children in such cases tend to find peace after testifying against their abuser. "But I think the workup of taking the stand is initially very hard on a child," he said. "They're confronting the person that abused them. ... There is fear." Rickman, 65, is a founder of the church where the 7-year-old and her family attended, Fresh Anointing Faith International Christian Church in Tracy. He also was a chaplain for American Legion Post 172 and a master chaplain at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1537. Tracy police launched the investigation into Rickman after receiving a call from the girl's mother June 20. She said her daughter told her the pastor made her use a sex toy and perform sexual acts in his vehicle. Tracy police said the abuse occurred on various occasions in May, including incidents when he drove the girl home from school. He originally faced six counts of sexual abuse, carrying a possible sentence of 45 years to life. More counts would have been added if the case had gone to trial, Grau said. "This is one of the cases where he admitted to the conduct," Grau said. "Mr. Rickman took advantage of his position as a pastor." Earlier in the court proceedings, two friends of Rickman's - a local church pastor and his wife - suggested to media the story might have been fabricated by the girl's family possibly in response to financial decisions Rickman made for the church. Grau said he was angered by those statements. "The fact is that he confessed," Grau said. "The truth is there was no evidence the victim was lying." Rickman's sentencing will be scheduled in early October. Contact reporter Jennie Rodriguez-Moore at (209) 943-8564 or jrodriguez@recordnet.com.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.