Mother of Alleged Victim in Victory Christian Case Files Lawsuit

By Jarrel Wade
Tulsa World
September 22, 2012

http://www.tulsaworld.com/specialprojects/news/crimewatch/article.aspx?subjectid=450&articleid=20120922_11_A1_CUTLIN108504

[with pdf]

The mother of a 13-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by an employee at Victory Christian Center filed a lawsuit against the church Friday claiming church officials blamed the girl for her involvement in an attempted cover-up, court records show.

The lawsuit, filed in Tulsa County District Court, claims the church intentionally inflicted emotional distress by not reporting the alleged crime to police or the victim's parents for about two weeks after learning of the assault.

"Rather than contacting the appropriate authorities, defendant (Victory Christian Center) chose to conduct its own 'investigation' with the ultimate purpose of doing damage control as opposed to protecting" the victim, according to the lawsuit.

The mother of the victim is identified as the plaintiff in the lawsuit. It is the Tulsa World's policy not to identify the victim of an alleged sexual assault.

The lawsuit further alleges that four adult leaders questioned and intimidated the victim, telling her the rape was her fault.

According to the lawsuit, a Victory Christian employee falsely told the victim's mother that the police had been contacted. The suit also says the mother gave the first report of her daughter's rape to police.

Two suspects have been arrested in the investigation, which records show involves at least three girls ages 13 to 15.

Chris Denman, a 20-year-old former employee of Victory Christian Center, is charged with first-degree rape of a minor, forcible oral sodomy of a minor, lewd molestation and use of a computer to facilitate a sex crime. He remains in jail with a bond set at $200,000.

Israel Shalom Castillo, 23, was arrested Thursday morning on charges of lewd or indecent proposals to a child and use of a computer to facilitate a sex crime. Castillo's bail is set at $70,000.

Denman is listed in the lawsuit; Castillo is not.

Police allege that Denman sexually assaulted the 13-year-old in a stairwell near a band room at Victory Christian Church, 7700 S. Lewis Ave., on Aug. 13.

Police were informed Aug. 30 and conducted a forensic interview with the girl the following day, records show.

The girl said during the Aug. 31 interview that on Aug. 13, before a church service, Denman forcibly removed her clothes in a stairwell, "pushed her against a wall and had vaginal intercourse" with her, according to court records.

The girl said Denman then grabbed her head, forced her to the floor and made her perform oral sex on him, records show. She told police she bit Denman's penis and that he hit her on the side of the face.

More victims are possibly involved but have not cooperated with the police investigation, police said.

In addition to the charges involving sex crimes, five Victory Christian employees were charged in the investigation with failure to report a crime.

Victory Christian Senior Pastor Sharon Daugherty told investigators she was aware of the criminal allegations during the two-week lapse in reporting the crime but believed her subordinates were handling the situation appropriately, police said.

According to the lawsuit, Daugherty called the victim's mother to offer her prayers.

Five Victory Christian Center staff members, including Senior Pastor Sharon Daugherty's son and daughter-in-law, were suspended from employment in addition to being charged with failing to report child abuse.

Paul Willemstein, 32, Anna George, 24, Harold Frank Sullivan, 73, Charica Dene Daugherty, 27, and John Samuel Daugherty, 28, were jailed on the misdemeanor charges shortly before 10 p.m. Monday. They posted bond and were released within hours of their arrests.

The World contacted a Victory Christian spokesperson for response to the lawsuit, but no statement was made available Friday.

The lawsuit, filed by Tulsa attorney Michael Atkinson, alleges emotional distress on both the victim and her mother and seeks damages in excess of $75,000.