Fla. Pastor and Church Members Face Death Penalty After Arrest for Sexual Abuse That Spans Over 30 Years

Protestia ^ | March 15, 2022 | Jennifer Lea

[Morgana]

(Church Leaders) A pastor in Jacksonville, Fla., was arrested on Wednesday, March 9, and charged with capital sexual battery in a case where the abuse dates back at least 30 years, according to authorities. Two other church members, Jerome Teschendorf (68) and Vernon Williamson (85), were arrested on the same charge as Paul Dyal (78), founder and pastor of The Jacksonville Assembly of the Body of Christ.

“It should be noted that through the course of the investigation we have identified and spoken to numerous victims and witnesses,” said the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO). “As a result, investigators believe there are additional suspects involved in the reported crimes. This long-term investigation was conducted in partnership with the U.S. Marshals, State Attorney’s Office, and the Florida Department of Children and Families.”

One of Paul Dyal’s victims told News4Jax, “Living with it and just knowing that all those years nobody would listen to me and he was free and now he’s actually in jail, it’s numb, surreal but some kind of a little bit of closure.”

Paul Dyal founded The Jacksonville Assembly of the Body of Christ, which currently has at least 78 people, in Jacksonville in the 1970s. A school connected with the church, as well as Dyal’s house, are on church property, and the pastor also ran a music store at one point.

JSO raided Jacksonville Assembly on Wednesday, interrupting worship services and subsequently arresting Dyal. Teschendorf and Williamson were arrested in Oklahoma.

All three men were charged with capital sexual battery, a crime involving a perpetrator aged 18 years or older and a victim under the age of 12. According to Musca Law, the penalty for capital sexual battery is life imprisonment without parole or death by lethal injection or electrocution.

[Morgana]

From what articles I’ve read they were the higher ups. That church is a church one of the men founded.

[know.your.why]

Let’s be honest here okay? The scandal in the Catholic Church just got the ball rolling. This sort of thing has been going on since The Bible, check in the book of Samuel it’s there. Catholics opened up about being abused now all other survivors in other religions be it Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, whatever are now going to come forward. I expect much much more in years to come

Men Never Do Evil So Completely and Cheerfully As When They Do It From Religious Conviction. - Blaise Pascal

[JimSp]

More than fascination… full on Obsession

[V_TWIN]

I stand corrected...thanks

[Pollard]

At their age, they’ll sit on death row until they die of old age.

[justme4now]

No problem.

[V_TWIN]

I stand corrected

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Serious enough to hang them in public in front of the church building.

[tomsbartoo]

No, the Catholic Church did no such thing. The Catholic Church is the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ. To suggest God committed sin is blasphemous.

But, without question, the evil Modernist, homosexual bishops and priests of the Catholic Church since the time of the Second Vatican Council committed uncountable numbers of sinful abuses against many innocent children. Some have been brought to justice on this earth, but all will face His supreme punishment at the end of their earthly lives.

And tragically, many of those same feckless leaders of the Church are the ones who have done all in their power to lead souls to damnation and to destroy this great nation. So please don’t confuse the Catholic Church with the worthless men who are now in a position of leadership.