WASHINGTON
Federal Way Mirror
By ANDY HOBBS
Federal Way Mirror Editor
January 28, 2013 ·
It happened right under the mother’s nose: a youth minister at church was molesting her 3-year-old daughter.
The youth minister, age 23 at the time, worked well with children and seemed destined for a career in that capacity.
The mother shrugged off rumors about the minister’s past conviction as a sex offender. After all, the church was supposed to be a safe and forgiving place of acceptance, and the youth minister was popular in the church family. He gained the mother’s trust as he helped around the house, played with the girl and mentored her older son.
“He was so good with the kids,” said the mother, a local resident whose name is being withheld to protect her privacy.
A red flag surfaced when she came home one day and noticed the daughter was less excited about her mother’s return and more interested in the minister leaving. She spotted more odd behavior, including the minister’s eagerness to spend time with her daughter. She asked serious questions that led to the revelation of abuse.
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