State police tapped to aid in Calvary investigation

By Crystal Owens
Loudoun Times-Mirror
September 9, 2015

http://www.loudountimes.com/news/article/state_police_tapped_to_aid_in_calvary_investigation898

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office has enlisted the help of the Virginia State Police in the investigation of alleged sexual assaults at Sterling's Calvary Temple church.

Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman said last week that he has called in additional resources “to have them work with us in an abundance of caution that there could be a conflict of interest.”

The Virginia State Police could completely take over the investigation, which began six months ago, but doing so would mean starting from square one, according to Chapman.

Former Calvary members last week called for the Virginia State Police to take over the investigation over concerns that a member of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, Sgt. Kevin Robinette, is also a member of the Pentecostal church.

“Considering that you do have a member of the sheriff's office that belongs to the church, we felt it was a good idea to get a set of independent eyes on it,” Chapman said.

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office has been investigating incidents of alleged sexual abuse at Calvary since March – the same time the Loudoun Times-Mirror published the women's accounts of abuse they say they endured for years as children at the hands of Calvary's administration and teachers.

In addition to sexual abuse, former members of the church say they've witnessed countless incidents of physical and mental abuse, with families being broken apart through divorce should one member disagree with the church's teachings. Many who have been “shunned” from the church or left on their own accord say they haven't seen or spoken to their children in years.

The Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office issued a letter to sheriff's office Maj. Richard Fiano in July, saying they believed the investigation should be turned over to the state police because of Robinette's position in the church.

However, Chapman disputes that claim, saying his office, prosecutors and the state police all agreed at the beginning of the investigation that Loudoun should take the lead.

The Loudoun Commonwealth's Attorney's Office says a state investigation has been their position from the beginning.

They've also said that turning the case over to a grand jury is also a viable option.

Amid growing frustration from ex-Calvary members about how long it's taking to investigate the alleged abuse, Chapman said an inquiry of this magnitude will take time, given some allegations go back decades.

“We've got a detail of 20 people looking into this, interviewing people and even traveling to other states to take statements,” he said.