Former Casper Church Janitor Pleads Not Guilty to Abusing Girls

By Joshua Wolfson
Billings Gazette
April 27, 2013

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/former-casper-church-janitor-pleads-not-guilty-to-abusing-girls/article_651c65df-a372-5594-9cd8-281c62943582.html

A former janitor at a Casper church pleaded not guilty Friday to molesting three girls while apparently posing as a youth leader there.

James David Jaure is charged with five counts of sexual abuse of a minor. The girls — ages 11, 12 and 15 — have accused him of abusing them during separate incidents last year. At the time, he was employed by Highland Park Community Church.

Jaure spoke only to answer procedural questions during a brief appearance in Natrona County District Court. He was dressed in a red jail uniform and flanked by his defense attorney.

Combined, his charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 25 to 115 years.

Jaure is already a registered sex offender. He was convicted of third-degree sexual assault in Cheyenne nine years ago.

Casper police began to investigate the 29-year-old in February after the father of one of the girls came forward with allegations of an assault that had occurred the previous summer. His daughter told investigators the assault took place in a church basement.

Authorities interviewed two other girls who also reported being abused by Jaure. Both said they visited his Evansville home.

One woman who was involved in the children’s ministry at the church told police she found out Jaure was a registered sex offender in the fall of 2011 and expressed concern to church pastors, according to a detective’s affidavit. The woman said she was told Jaure would no longer be near children.

The charges all stem from incidents that occurred in 2012.

A detective interviewed Jaure in February of this year. He admitted being in the basement with one girl and having another sleep at his home several times, the affidavit states.

The interview ended when the detective confronted Jaure about the sexual assaults and the suspect asked if he was under arrest.

Jaure remains held at the Natrona County Detention Center in lieu of $100,000 bond.