RAPID CITY (SD)
Rapid City Journal
By Vicky Wicks, Journal Staff Writer
RAPID CITY -- Saying he didn't want another child to go through what Glenn Ford's victim went through, 7th Circuit Judge Merton Tice Jr. sentenced the former youth pastor to 15 years in the South Dakota State Penitentiary.
At Tuesday's hearing, Tice suspended seven years of the sentence and gave Ford until Friday to report to Pennington County Jail for transport to prison.
The sentencing ends the story that started in June, when Ford, now 40, was charged for having sex with a 13-year-old girl while he was youth pastor at Victory Chapel on La Crosse Street.
The victim was in the courtroom Tuesday, but her mother spoke on her behalf, telling of the nightmares and fears the girl had after reporting the crimes that occurred over a three-month period. The child's mother said the girl was depressed and suicidal and sometimes slept in a closet because of her fears.
Other youths in the congregation no longer wanted to attend church because of the situation caused by Ford, the mother told Tice.
Posted by kshaw at March 2, 2005 04:09 AM