Rock Harbor Congregants 'Shocked and Betrayed' by Abuse Allegations
By Deepa Bharath
COSTA MESA – Congregants at Rock Harbor church are dealing with a slew of emotions after four victims came forward saying that they were sexually abused by a Sunday school teacher. Jeff Gideon, communications director for the church, said the congregation feels "shocked and betrayed." "Our whole community is just dealing with this betrayal and searching for answers at this point," he said. "We are just flabbergasted by the fact that this happened in spite of all the policies and procedures we had put in place to ensure the safety and security of our families." Christopher Bryan McKenzie Sr., 48, a pool cleaner, was arrested Friday on suspicion of committing lewd acts on a child and distributing pornography to minors. According to court documents, McKenzie has now been charged with 10 felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14, four felony counts of using a minor for the distribution of obscene matter and two felony counts of distributing pornography to minors. In addition, he faces sentencing enhancement allegations for substantial sexual conduct with a child – including masturbation, oral copulation and sexual penetration – against more than one victim. If convicted, McKenzie faces 45 years to life in prison. The complaint states that the alleged incidents occurred between March 1996 and January 2010. Gideon said church administrators strongly believe that opening up communication with congregants is the best way to deal with this "tragic situation." "We value transparency, authenticity and honesty," he said. "When you are leading and ministering to a community, you have to be open." On Monday night, the church held a gathering to open up the dialog and provide church members with the necessary resources and support, Gideon said. The church is helping the victims and their families who were directly affected by McKenzie get professional counseling, he said. McKenzie was arrested on Friday after two victims came forward with the allegations. On Monday, the parents of two other victims filed similar complaints. Authorities are encouraging anyone else who may have been a victim to come forward, said Senior Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Herrera. "This is very much an ongoing investigation," she said. None of the incidents involving any of the four victims occurred on the church campus, Herrera said. McKenzie is being held in Orange County jail without bail. His arraignment has been continued to Dec. 21. According to Orange County court records, McKenzie was sentenced to three years probation after he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol in June 2007. He became a Sunday school volunteer at Rock Harbor in December 2007 and served in that capacity until last month, Gideon said. "We did run a background check on (McKenzie) before taking him on as a volunteer, but the DUI did not come up," he said. "That is another issue we are looking into, with regard to how that was missed." Spotting that conviction on McKenzie's record may have raised a red flag, Gideon said. "With every volunteer, any such incident is taken into consideration," he said. "The committee would look into the severity of the incident and the amount of time that has lapsed since the conviction occurred. The committee would weigh all the facts and make a recommendation for or against a volunteer." Contact: dbharath@ocregister.com
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