Victim in sex abuse case feared VineLife Church leaders would ‘not take matter seriously’

COLORADO
Daily Camera

By Mitchell Byars, Camera Staff Writer

The woman who alleges she was sexually abused by a youth pastor at VineLife Church while she was a minor reported it to Boulder police because she feared the church would not take the matter seriously after attending a meeting with church leaders, according to police reports released Thursday.

Jason Allen Roberson, 35, the son of VineLife’s senior pastor, Walt Roberson, is facing six felony charges in relation to the alleged abuse.

Four other church officials — Executive Pastor Robert Phillip Young, 65, Pastor Luke Michael Humbrecht, 30, and church elders Edward Charles Bennell, 65, and Warren Lloyd Williams, 66 — have been ticketed for failing to report child abuse, with an unnamed fifth person still due to be ticketed.

The victim, Danielle DesGeorges, also is suing Roberson and VineLife Church in Boulder District Court. The Daily Camera generally does not identify victims of sexual abuse, but does have a policy of naming them in cases in which they initiate civil litigation.

DesGeorges, who lives in Boulder and is now 24, went to police in April and told investigators that she and Roberson had an inappropriate relationship that began when she was 15 and continued for seven years.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.