Posted on 03/13/2002 5:43:18 AM PST by areafiftyone
An Allapattah Baptist minister who once led an anti-crime march was arrested Monday night after police found him inside a parked van, naked, having sex with a 17-year-old boy.
Misael Castillo, 41, was charged with having unlawful sexual acts with a minor. The longtime pastor of Jerusalem Baptist Church, Castillo -- married with two children -- was released on $15,000 bond Tuesday morning.
''He was leading a double life,'' said Miami police Lt. William Schwartz. ``Family and church on one side, secret sexual liaisons on the other.''
The sex was consensual, police said. Castillo met the youth in an Internet chat room.
Castillo did not return calls to his church and home. He has no statewide criminal record.
It was the second time in a week that a South Florida clergyman has been accused of having sexual contact with an underage boy. Last week, the Catholic bishop of the Palm Beach diocese admitted he fondled a teenage seminarian 25 years ago.
No charges have been filed in that case.
Castillo's arrest came after residents noticed a white van parked at about 10 p.m. at the side of Southwest 24th Avenue, just west of South Dixie Highway. The van was sitting under the Metrorail tracks.
''It was there for about an hour,'' said Jorge Ponce, 16, who lives in a nearby apartment. ``It was all dark in there.''
''It looked really suspicious,'' added another resident who would not give her name. ``I got kind of scared.''
Eventually someone called police. Officers pulled up and found Castillo and the teenager -- both naked -- inside the van.
''There were about three police cars and an old guy and a young guy,'' said Adriana Rodriguez, 45, who lives in the neighborhood. ``The young guy had his hands [behind his back]; the old guy had them raised up in the air.''
Police took Castillo back to headquarters. He confessed he had sex with the youth Monday night and on a previous occasion, police said.
The revelation shocked those who know Castillo.
''He's been a faithful pastor and his service has been noteworthy,'' said Rev. David Cleeland, executive director of the Miami Baptist Association, a 280-church organization to which Castillo's church belonged.
At Jerusalem Baptist Church -- a flat, lemon-colored building in the 2400 block of Northwest 23rd Street -- members appeared grim. Those who stopped by on Tuesday hurried inside without answering a reporter's questions.
One person who did speak was 10-year-old George Fletes. His mother works at the flower shop across the street from the church.
Fletes said the pastor invited him to a Friday night service two weeks ago.
''He was nice,'' George said. ``It was during that time when it was really cold. I went in there. Everything was normal.''
Not any longer.
According to Florida State Statute 794.05, anyone who is 24 or older and has sex with someone 16 or 17 -- even consensually -- has committed a second-degree felony. It is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The youth Castillo was found with is two months shy of his 18th birthday.
Castillo lives at 1858 NW 26th St., in a neighborhood of modest one-story homes. Neighbors there praised the man who organized Allapattah's first walk against crime five years ago.
''I feel like it's [happening] to my father,'' said Sonia Rivera. ``He's so nice. He always invited me and my family to go to church.''
''He's peaceful -- you wouldn't expect something like that,'' added Jesse Gutierrez, 18. ``When our house got broken into, he called the cops and helped us out.
``He was like the neighborhood watch.''
No foolin'. I'm with ya!
You do have a point there! :-)
This is what you get for being a closet case of a comic. ;-)
a harsh unfunny joke
OK, I accept you meant it as a joke. I also apologize for my response because I didn't see it for being a joke.
As to the sensitivity...
It comes with the territory. I'll give you a personal example: I'm starting a business that is "faith-based" but NOT "Catholic"... it's completely ecumenical. To make a long story short...I recieved "active" resistance from every "Protestant" church I approached once they found out I was Catholic (I'm not making that up or exaggerating... too much! LOL!) I even had one prospective viewer tell me he wouldn't become involved with anything "Catholic." Now maybe I'm just personally frustrated at not being able to find a way to "reach-out" to Protestants when it comes to my business plans.
Not on a personal note: You can check it out for yourself...don't take my word for it. Find a "Thread" that mentions a problem with any "Christian" faith... within the 1st 50-100 posts you'll find an "anti-Catholic" comment. The subject may not even be about the Catholic Church (like as this thread)...it doesn't matter, the "Catholic Bashers" come-by and take their cheap shots. Lord help you if the word "Catholic" or "Pope" appears in the title...then they come in droves!
What these "Bashers" don't understand is we Catholics are willing to discuss the problems within the "structure" of the church...but we will not put up with an attack against our Faith!
As for me...I truly believe in everything Jesus taught...except that "Turn the other cheek stuff." LOL!
We-ellll....I doubt that any church has a standardized question asking "Have you ever, or do you in the future, intend to engage in any type of perverted behavior?"
I know how you feel, though. In the past ten years, the church has been turning itself inside out in the name of "tolorance".
The worst thing churches have done to themselves was to embrace the PC agenda.
Or sell all those "art treasures" to feed the poor. < /sarcasm>
Well, I didn't find it harsh or unfunny.
There is nothing for which I am more thankful for than my sense of humor. Without it I would be, at best, dead.
:)
He was married, wasn't he?
That's supposed to solve ALL the problems. No worries there.
(Unless, of course, you've some passing familiarity -- however discomfiting -- of the ratio of "happily married men" who patronize the bath houses and back rooms of New Orleans gay bars while on business. Lot more bang for your buck than a $1,000 membership at Larry "Free Speech" Flynt's Hustler club.)
"Got any grapes?" he asks the bartender.
"Nope."
So the duck leaves.
The next day, the duck comes back.
"Got any grapes?" he asks.
"Nope," says the bartender.
The next day....the duck comes back again.
"Got any grapes?"
"Look, duck," says the bartender, "I didn't have any grapes yesterday, I don't have any today, and I'm not going to have any tomorrow. And if you come back here asking for grapes again, I'm gonna nail your feet to the bar."
The duck leaves....
The next day, the duck comes back.
He walks up to the bartender.
"Got any nails?"
"Nope."
"Got any grapes?"
:)
NO! WRONG!!
If he had been "faithful" he would not be engaging in sodomy with children!!!!
The church will have to allow the marriage of it's priests if they want this stain on the church to go away. Their policy has made the priesthood a "respectable" place for a 40 year old single man..no none asks questions..
Lol! Is that what you said? A pity we've grown every bit as jumpy and sensitive as some leftist site.Killings of evangelicals by Catholics in Chiapas, Mexico, are a sore issue for many Latino ProtestantsWho was it that said the taking of offense is a sign of the end times?
Maybe we could petition John for an "Old Style" FR forum where it's read-only unless you've been here since '98 or actually possess BOTH a sense of humor and a thick skin and have been invited in. =)
I have a friend who spends a fair amount of time in Chiapas en route to his amber connection and keeps me up to date on how the marxist radicals are Progressing. Hard to believe the Protestants aren't likewise hip to the crux of the problem. =)I really appreciate the flag more than you know. I've never actually heard an evangelical make mention of the fact it's Catholics they're down there to "convert to Christianity".
Secret's out now!
(Sorta puts the Protestant huffing and puffing over Domine Iejus in perspective ... =)
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