Saginaw Township Church of Christ Leaders Likely Did Not Know about Sexual Abuse When They Fired Minister, Investigators Say, by Lania Coleman, Bay City Times, November 22, 2011

Saginaw Township Church of Christ Leaders Likely Did Not Know about Sexual Abuse When They Fired Minister, Investigators Say

By Lania Coleman
Bay City Times
November 22, 2011

http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2011/11/saginaw_township_church_of_chr.html

Matthew Jordan

BAY CITY — A former Saginaw Township minister who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy was turned in by his own family.

Saginaw Township police began investigating Matthew Jordan on Nov. 12, 2010, when members of Jordan's family in Tennessee tipped them off that he may have abused a young boy, said township police Lt. Gary P. Grauf.

"They must have known that there was some problem or some relationship with someone here," said Grauf. "That's why they brought it to our attention.

"One of my detectives opened the file on Nov. 12 and search warrants were being activated within 24 to 48 hours of the initial information coming in."

Jordan, 51, served 10 years as minister of Center Road Church of Christ, 1325 N. Center Road. Church leaders fired him in January 2010, roughly 10 months before the investigation began.

Grauf said it does not appear that church officials were aware of Jordan's actions, or his history as a sex offender in Tennessee.

"The termination was a result of performance issues at the time," said Grauf. "The church, in January, didn't know. He wasn't fired for that."

The Rev. James Sanderson, the current minister, has said the church was not responsible for Jordan's behavior.

"It wasn't really us," Sanderson has said. "This was something he did."

Township police executed search warrants at Jordan's home on Seidel Place near Brockway Avenue.

They seized cameras and computers on which they discovered photographs and videos of Jordan molesting the boy.

Investigators were able to identify the child because Jordan called him by name, authorities have said.

The boy was a member of the church.

The videos appeared to have been shot in the basement of Jordan's home, authorities have said.

Neither Grauf for Saginaw attorney J. Michael Fordney, who is representing the victim in a federal civil suit, know whether there are any other victims.

"The case hasn't had a lot of media attention," said Fordney. "I'm not aware of any other victims coming forward."

Saginaw County Prosecutor Michael D. Thomas made the call to turn the investigation over to the FBI in Bay City.

Jordan was charged with sexual exploitation of a child. He pleaded guilty to manufacturing child pornography and currently is awaiting sentencing set for Dec. 1.

Investigators say Jordan was convicted of assault with intent to commit rape in December 1987 in Montgomery County, Tenn. That offense also involved a minor, court records show.Jordan is not registered as a sex offender on either the Tennessee or the national sex offender registry.