Black Collar Crime Round-Up: January 10, 2011
Gordon Libby • David Love • Chester A. Mast • Charles Reed
Because we could spend 24/7 tracking the sins of right-wing religionists (especially “youth pastors”) and never get caught up. Of the following, the more interesting cases will probably end up with their very own Conservative Babylon entries.
Sentenced to life in prison: Jason Robert Bourque, 20, described by his mother as a “good Christian young man,” and Daniel George McAllister, 22, Southern Baptist youth group members, for setting a rash of church fires in and around Tyler, Texas. Story: Conservative Babylon, December 28, 2010; Dallas Morning News, January 10, 2011
Charged: Elijah Efferiam, 30, Nigerian-born pastor, All Nations Evangelistical Mission, Ghana, with assault on “a fellow woman clergy from his country,” one “Reverend Blessing Praise … General Overseer and Founder of All Nations Evangelistical Mission.” Police say Efferiam “also proposed marriage to some pretty female members of church,” “bent down to look at the private part of the daughter of his landlady when she was urinating,” and charged GHS¢50 (about US$34) “before praying for people who consulted him.” Efferiam, who has pleaded not guilty to the assault charge, is due in court again January 24th. Story: Peace FM Online, January 8, 2011; Ghana News Agency, January 8, 2011
Arrested: Gordon Libby, 55, New Zealand-born founder and managing director of Pastors4U.com (which has since gone offline), which “specializes in providing long-term placement of staff pastors and ministry personnel within evangelical churches and ministries nationwide,” whose “goal is to do our part in advancing the Kingdom of God,” and “planter” of Living Water Fellowship, Kissimmee, Florida, accused of kidnapping a 14-year-old boy from a St. Cloud Walmart by threatening to stab him, and then masturbating in front of the boy. According to Pastors4U.com, Libby: “Graduated from Zion Bible Institute with Ministerial Diploma. (Pentecostal/Assembly of God bible college); Graduated from Barrington College with B.S. degree; Served as youth pastor, deacon and lay leader in various churches with weekly attendance of 50 to over 1,700 including Assembly of God, COGIC, Nondenominational and Southern Baptist” and “Founded and developed an international recruitment firm specializing in recruitment of pastoral staff for large evangelical, Assembly of God and charismatic churches in 2001.” Story: WFTV (with video), January 10, 2011
Not guilty plea: David Love, 50, former pastor, New Hope Baptist Church, Independence, Missouri, to the first-degree murder of church member Randy Stone, husband of Love’s longtime mistress, Teresa Stone. Love is next due in court February 4th. Story: Conservative Babylon, November 15, 2010; December 22, 2010; December 28, 2010; Kansas City Star, January 10, 2011
In court: Chester A. Mast, 26, an Amish man who pleaded guilty to “felony statutory rape, statutory sodomy and sexual misconduct involving a child” in Missouri and was sentenced to 14 years, and is now charged with similar crimes, including incest, in Wisconsin. Story: Hannibal Courier-Post, August 28, 2010; Hannibal Courier-Post, September 4, 2010; Hannibal Courier-Post, September 14, 2010; http://www.hannibal.net/features/x1458586776/Amish-man-charged-with-Wisconsin-sex-crimes” target=”_blank”>Hannibal Courier-Post, January 4, 2011. This is the second such recent case involving Amish men and sex crimes in Wisconsin; last August, brothers Christian Stolzfus, 19, and Dannie Stolzfus, 18, of Fennimore, were charged with multiple counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13, as well as incest (involving at least six different family members), exposure, and bestiality — that is, sexual gratification with an animal (specifically, several cows and horses). Story: nbc15.com, August 24, 2010; Inquisitr, August 25, 2010; 2old2play.com, August 25, 2010
Sentenced: Charles Reed, 67, bus minister, Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, Harrisburg, Illinois, “to a total of 22 years in prison — 15 years in the Department of Corrections for the church incident, which happened between March and June 2005 and involved a 14-year-old girl, and seven years in prison for abuse of a 4-year-old girl dating back to 1997.” Story: Daily Register, January 7, 2011; Harrisburg Daily Register, January 9, 2011
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