Brian Neiswender
Claims to fame: Baptist minister/youth pastor, Christ Community Church, Kingston, Pennsylvania; husband; sex assailant; minor-corrupter
Moral apex: Arrested and charged with “inappropriately touching teenage girls … during youth group meetings and private music lessons” — specifically, “fondling three teenage girls in Kingston while playing hide-and-seek in the dark and teaching one-on-one music lessons.”
Four other girls had come forward with similar charges, and there “may have been as many as six other victims, but they did not come forward after seeing a backlash against the girls who made the initial accusations, Capt. John Jorda, the lead investigator on the case, said.” (The Citizens Voice)
Plea: No contest to two counts of indecent assault of a person under age 16 and three counts of corruption of minors.
Sentenced: July, 2009; minimum eight months.
Typical higher-ups cover-ups: “The girls went to police in February 2008,” reported The Citizens Voice, “and Neiswender was arrested last June.
“When church officials first learned of the allegations, a rule was briefly implemented that Neiswender’s lessons would no longer be one-on-one.
“The second time, Neiswender apologized and ‘church members said they would take care of the situation,’ but it was unclear if any action was taken.”
Memorable observation — and shades of Ja’Marc Davis fans:
When Brian Neiswender made his first appearance in Youth Pastor Watch in June of last year—the Pennsylvania youth pastor was accused of sexually abusing teenage girls—his supporters insisted in the comments thread that Neiswender was innocent because 1. he’s simply too good, too full of the spirit of Jesus Christ, to have done such a thing and 2. his accusers were so ugly that no man — youth pastor or not — would ever want to molest one of them and 3. Neiswender’s wife is hot and 4. SATAN!!! Not even a tape recording of Neiswender apologizing to one of his victims could convince them of Neiswender’s guilt. “I hope (but my hope is in vain),” wrote Jen, “that when he is proven innocent of all charges that you will run another story giving the facts.”— Dan Savage
Slog, June 16, 2009
Suggested Bible reading for Brian Neiswender:
And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.— Genesis 42:22
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