CALIFORNIA
Daily Bulletin
Melissa Pinion-Whitt, Staff Writer
sbsun.com
Created: 08/16/2012
Rialto police have arrested a Compton church pastor suspected of molesting two Rialto girls for several years, one of whom was 11 years old when the alleged sexual abuse began.
Anthony Lavon Smith, 47, of Rialto was taken into custody at Carter High School about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday while he was picking up a family friend, police Capt. Randy DeAnda said.
“We do believe that there are other victims at his church, and we’ll be contacting the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department detective bureau to let them know about our investigation,” DeAnda said.
Smith has been a pastor at Jericho Baptist Assembly in Compton since April 2001, following in the footsteps of his father, Willie L. Smith, who also preached at the church, according to the church’s website.
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