Pastor convicted of soliciting sex from teenager

Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, PA)/AP Wire ^ | 1/15/2004

[Born Conservative]

Pastor convicted of soliciting sex from teenager Associated Press

WEST CHESTER, Pa. - A Philadelphia pastor who has condemned homosexuality and was known for using a bullhorn to preach to passers-by at colleges was convicted Wednesday of soliciting sex from a teenager.

Jurors deliberated for 3 1/2 hours before convicting the Rev. Craig Stephen White of criminal solicitation to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and related offenses.

White, 40, who faces a minimum of three years on the most serious charge, showed no reaction, and neither did his wife. His mother wept and said, "He's innocent; he's innocent."

Chester County Judge Anthony A. Sarcione revoked White's $20,000 bail and sent him to Chester County Prison.

"He's a preacher, and he has access to children," Sarcione said. "This jury has spoken. He has been convicted of attempting to lure a child into a vehicle" for sexual gratification.

Defense attorney Robert J. Donatoni said he was "disappointed but not surprised." "This was a very difficult case for everyone," said Donatoni, who suggested that the teenager was mistaken, confused or just seeking attention.

On June 26, White, who was driving a Ford minivan, stopped in West Chester and asked a 14-year-old boy for directions.

The boy said White also asked about strip clubs or adult book or video stores, asked him to get in and help the driver find the regular video store, and later came back and offered him $20 for taking part in sexual activity.

White denied that he made any sexual proposition and said he asked directions to a video store because he wanted to buy the movie "Shrek" for his children.

White, who moved to Philadelphia in 1991, started a Temple University campus group called Soldiers for Christ, worked at a youth ministry in Gloucester County, N.J., and began the Philadelphia Gospel Outreach Center in North Philadelphia.

He was a fixture on the University of Pennsylvania campus and preached to passers-by at other campuses in the Philadelphia area. He was a prominent enough figure at Penn that the chaplain's office held a panel discussion about his methods in 1998.

White preached against homosexuality and atheists, using a bullhorn to rile at students and faculty about "fornicators," "whores" and "sodomites."

Assistant District Attorney Kimberly A. Callahan called White a threat to society. "I'm relieved the jury believed the victim and understood the seriousness of the case," she said.

White supporter Michael A. Marcavage called the verdict "an outrageous travesty" and said the community should be alarmed. "Citizens should be concerned about how a man can be tried and convicted on the testimony of a 14-year-old," he said.

Pat Noordewier said she worked with White and a youth group for years and that he often stayed at her home. "This man is innocent," she said. "His ministry is kids."

[AppyPappy]

Now we have a good reason for not stopping to ask for directions.

[AppyPappy]

I have also found myself wondering about the Phelps guy.

Wonder no more. It's a work.

[hunter112]

One time I pulled to a stop at a red light in downtown Seattle, and before I could say a word, a female prostitute got in my car and was sitting next to me in the front seat.

I never drive through Seattle or Tacoma with my doors unlocked, I'll bet you don't anymore, either!

[LadyDoc]

ten percent of girls are sexually abused, and probably 5 percent of boys. Of course it is not a problem only with priests.

Indeed, ten percent of doctors have had sex with their patients, and the percentage of sexual activity with patients is at least twice that high with psychologists/psychiatrists. but no one bothers to metion this...

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Ping

[Salvation]

Ping

[Bluntpoint]

Know any good shrinks who make housecalls. I'm feeling a bit "randy!"

[little jeremiah]

Homosexual agenda ping - a minister convicted, it looks a tiny bit dubious. I'd like to see what other evidence there was.

If any one wants on or off this ping list, let me know.

[dsc]

"It's weird the guy is married and still attracted to boys... I personally know two men who left their wives and children to embrace the gay lifestyle. One of them has SEVEN boys and the other has a son and daughter. Weird."

People who've been married for years develop other mental and spiritual problems, don't they? Or an existing problem gets worse? They develop depression or schizophrenia, or an addiction to prostitutes or pornography. Maybe a drinking problem.

Why would it be so odd that same-sex attraction disorder, which is a mental problem as well as a spiritual, should emerge or worsen after years of marriage?

[doosee]

Super job at covering the facts of these types of hideous actions. I have noticed when a non - Catholic clergy is involved, the story will be on page 25 of the second section.

[sinkspur]

Homosexual agenda ping - a minister convicted, it looks a tiny bit dubious. I'd like to see what other evidence there was.

The "minister" doesn't argue that he went to a video store. Why would a minister pick up a total stranger (and a young boy, to boot) and go to a video store?

It took the jury three hours to convict this guy.

It was a slam dunk.

[TankerKC]

I guess this type of thing isn't exclusive to Catholic priests...

That's just what I thought.

[TankerKC]

Except you wont see his Church defending or covering up the incident..

No. They just set up shop in another former Dry Cleaners and all will be forgotten. On the other hand, you can't just move the rock.

[dsc]

"Nevertheless, to lose focus on the problem of child molestation throughout society would be a mistake."

It would also be a mistake to lose sight of the fact that the biggest problem is not with child molesting--pedophilia--but with homosexual molestation of teen boys.

For psychological purposes, a 14-year-old is not a child. He is past puberty, and therefore a youth.

While there may at some point in history have been a homosexual man who was not sexually attracted to youths, such a phenomenon has not come to my attention.

The biggest problem is that men who suffer from SSAD are more strongly attracted to youths than to any other age group, are much more likely to act on such desires, and in fact do act on those desires with distressing frequency.

Pedophilia is a separate problem, and not nearly as common as ordinary garden-variety homosexuality.

Wherever an ordinary garden-variety homosexual has access to youths, those youths are at high risk. Much higher risk than teenage girls face through proximity to healthy men.

[dsc]

"en percent of girls are sexually abused, and probably 5 percent of boys."

Source, please, and definition of "abused."

"ten percent of doctors have had sex with their patients"

Does that mean that 10% of all living doctors have at least once had sex with a patient, even if that was decades ago, and even if they ended up marrying the patient? Or does it mean that 10% of all doctors are currently exploiting patients for sexual purposes?

[scripter]

The biggest problem is that men who suffer from SSAD are more strongly attracted to youths than to any other age group, are much more likely to act on such desires, and in fact do act on those desires with distressing frequency.

Yep. Homosexuals, being around 2% (including bisexuals) of the population, account for a third of child molestations. Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

The data sources at the above links are something everybody should read.

[sinatorhellary]

Man, there's just so much NOT in the article to explain the evidence that convicted this man. Would be interesting to know what, other than the teenager's word, they used to convict.

[little jeremiah]

I guess some of the other comments caused me to doubt - at least not 100%...?

Unfortunately too many who are supposed to be protecting the morality of others instead destroy it. Such people are even worse than "regular" predators.

[fiscally_right]

Um.. I see much less ethically wrong with a doctor having sex with a consulting adult patient than a priest or teacher with a child.. Now a psychiatrist having sex with a patient is pretty repugnant, unless they cut off treatment when they first want to become involved..

[Coleus]

Let's see, a Protestant Minister/Teacher, a substitute teacher,pediatrician, married not celibate


30 Jerseyans to face Internet child-porn charges

Federal authorities say arrests include pediatrician and teacher
Thursday, January 15, 2004

BY MATTHEW J. DOWLING AND ROBERT RUDOLPH
Star-Ledger Staff

Federal authorities plan to announce today the arrests of about 30 New Jersey residents -- including a pediatrician, teacher and minister -- on charges that they downloaded nude photos of children from the Internet, law enforcement sources said.

The months-long, nationwide investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, has targeted dozens of other alleged pedophiles across the country, sources said. Federal officials have called a news conference in Newark today to detail the arrests and how investigators tracked down those seeking child pornography on the Web.

Among those already charged is Ronald M. Hiles, 44, of High Bridge. Hiles, a substitute teacher at the High Bridge elementary and middle schools in Hunterdon County, was arrested Tuesday morning after agents from ICE raided his home and seized two computer hard drives that contained 15 images of nude boys, authorities said.

Earlier this month, Lee Matthews, a minister and drama teacher at Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung, was arrested on similar charges. Matthews, 48, of Plainfield, is accused of downloading more than 100 pornographic pictures of boys and girls on his home computer. After his arrest, Matthews was relieved of his duties at the all-girl college prep school.

Agents from ICE, which is part of the federal Department of Homeland Security, have been executing search warrants throughout New Jersey this week. The investigation is an offshoot of "Operation Predator," an international investigation into child pornography and child prostitution that has resulted in 1,600 arrests since July.

Hiles, who is married and the father of three, posted a $100,000 bond yesterday after his first appearance in U.S. District Court before Judge Madeline Cox Arleo. He was banned from having access to computers or the Internet and ordered not to have unsupervised contact with children, other than his own, in nonpublic places.

"I'm sorry, at the advice of counsel, I have no comment for you," Hiles said when he answered the door at his Michael Lane home last night.

Hiles told authorities after his arrest that he used the Internet to view images of nude boys between the ages of 8 and 18, and subscribed to Web sites that provided child pornography, according to court documents.

If convicted, Hiles could face up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $250,000.

High Bridge school Superintendent Patricia Ash said that Hiles, who worked in the district for about 2 1/2 years, was removed from the substitute teacher list yesterday.

"We are very upset with what has happened," Ash said from her home last night.

Ash, who has been in touch with the U.S. Attorney's Office and Customs agents, said she was told that there is no connection between the charges and Hiles' work in the High Bridge schools.

"We are a small community and a very caring community. This is just one of those things we are going to have to deal with," Ash said.

In addition to working as a teacher in High Bridge, Hiles also has volunteered with youth programs at Presbyterian churches in Clinton and Califon.

The Rev. Tim Harrison, co-pastor of the Clinton Presbyterian Church where Hiles has volunteered for the last two years, said church leaders met last night to discuss the arrest.

Harrison said he does not have reason to believe Hiles had any inappropriate contact with children participating in the youth programs, which always have multiple adults supervising children.

He described Hiles as friendly and said he was surprised to learn of the charges against him.

"This is just very sad," Harrison said.

Staff writer Peter N. Spencer contributed to this report
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1074149551322861.xml