Victory Christian Center Explains 2-week Lapse in Reporting Rape Claim

By Jarrel Wade
Tulsa World
September 23, 2012

http://www.tulsaworld.com/specialprojects/news/crimewatch/article.aspx?subjectid=450&articleid=20120923_11_A1_CUTLIN82262

Victory Christian Center leaders began encouraging their congregation to speak up about sexual abuse this weekend following charges involving sexual crimes against children at the church and a two-week lapse in reporting the allegations to police, according to a church statement.

In addition, Victory Christian officials provided to the World a detailed account of the two weeks before police were notified.

The message to the congregation comes after the church fired two staff members who were later charged with child sex crimes and five other staff members were charged with failure to report child abuse. Police said last week that their investigation has revealed more possible victims with a possibility for a third suspect, but parents of new possible victims have not cooperated.

In her statement Saturday to her congregation during weekend services, Victory Christian Senior Pastor Sharon Daugherty said she has grieved about the situation and encouraged anyone with knowledge of child abuse to report it to authorities.

"I want to personally say, that if anybody here is aware of any child being neglected or abused, physically or sexually, that you should please inform the authorities immediately," Daugherty said. "Our children are precious, and we owe them our full protection."

Victory Christian's account shows Daugherty learned of the incidents three days before anyone at the church attempted to contact law enforcement, though police did not become officially involved until almost a week after Daugherty was notified.

On Saturday, Daugherty addressed her knowledge of the allegations and not reporting it because her subordinates were supposed to handle it.

"I was briefly told of an incident involving two ... employees and members of 24/7 (a youth group) ... and was told it was being reported but did not receive any details on the specific allegations," Daugherty said. "I was extremely disappointed to later hear of the delay in the time it was first reported."

Chris Denman, 20, is jailed on charges of raping a 13-year-old girl at the church, court records show. Israel Shalom Castillo, 23, is charged with making a lewd or indecent proposal to a child and using a computer to facilitate a sex crime.

Denman and Castillo, both members of the church, worked as janitors in the same department, according to information provided by Victory Christian.

Denman started as a janitor Aug. 16 but had worked with Victory Christian since at least June 2. Castillo started as a janitor Aug. 3.

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

Daugherty, who was not charged, told investigators she believed her subordinates were appropriately reporting the incidents, police said.

Paul Willemstein, 32, associate youth pastor; Anna George, 24, high school outreach program director; Harold Frank Sullivan, 73, the church's human resources director; Charica Dene Daugherty, 27, assistant senior high youth pastor, and John Samuel Daugherty, 28, senior high youth pastor, were jailed on the misdemeanor charges last week.

They posted bond and were released within hours of their arrests.

A lawsuit filed Friday on behalf of the 13-year-old alleged victim accuses Victory Christian officials of a cover-up to avoid reporting the assault.

In the suit, the alleged victim's mother accuses Victory Christian of negligence and causing emotional distress in waiting two weeks to report the allegations to police.

"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.

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.

According to the church's account of the two weeks, the victim first told youth interns she had been raped on Aug. 16 during an evening service. The alleged rape occurred Aug. 13.

The interns immediately told George, who then told Willemstein, according to the church's statement.

George and Willemstein interviewed the girl and tried to contact her grandmother, who they thought had legal guardianship of the 13-year-old girl, the church reported.

Willemstein told the girl to go find her grandmother, who was at the ongoing service, and return with her, but she never returned, according to the church statement.

The next day, Aug. 17, the girl and her grandmother attended another church service, but staff members involved did not speak to the girl or her grandmother, church officials said.

Five days later, on Aug. 22, the girl returned to the church.

"George saw her and brought her to Willemstein, but the girl expressed reluctance for Willemstein or George to inform her family members," according to the church account. "After she left, Willemstein called her grandmother on his own."

According to the girl's lawsuit against Victory Christian, four staff members at Victory Christian intimidated the girl, telling her she was partially responsible for the alleged rape.

Also on Aug. 22 a girl from the church's youth group shared with Charica Daugherty evidence of electronic messages between another girl and Castillo that were allegedly of a sexual nature, church officials reported. The evidence was shown to Willemstein and later to John Daugherty.

The girl's mother was called to the church and informed about the messages that same night, and Willemstein said he would report Castillo, according to the church statement.

On Aug. 23, Willemstein informed Sullivan about both alleged incidents.

According to the church's statement, John and Charica Daugherty were then told about the alleged rape, and Willemstein said he had reported the first incident.

The next day, Denman and Castillo were fired, and Sullivan informed Sharon Daugherty about the incidents, telling her they were "being reported," according to the church's statement.

On Aug. 27, three days later, Sullivan called a police officer for the first time, leaving the officer a voicemail, according to the church's statement.

Three days later, on Aug. 30, Sullivan talked directly with the officer, who recommended Sullivan call 911 and report the crime, according to the statement.

Charges against Denman and Castillo reference three victims who are officially part of the police investigation.