A former trainer on the Elim Gaithersburg church in Derwood, Maryland, is going through as much as 55 years in jail after pleading responsible to sexually molesting 4 ladies on the church. Two of the victims, in line with charging paperwork, had been abused in a classroom as different college students prayed.
The previous trainer, Ervin Alfaro-Lopez, 34, of Germantown, pleaded responsible to 1 rely of intercourse abuse of a minor and three counts of third-degree intercourse offense, the Montgomery County State’s Legal professional’s Workplace in Maryland introduced in a press launch.
The victims had been between the ages of 6 and 12 after they had been abused between 2016 and 2018.
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Charging paperwork cited by Bethesda mentioned police started an investigation into Alfaro-Lopez after they acquired a report in Might 2023 that he had sexually abused a toddler. The then 14-year-old survivor instructed investigators that Alfaro-Lopez sexually abused her when she was 6 or 7.
{The teenager} instructed police that Alfaro-Lopez touched her inappropriately throughout a midnight church service whereas she sat on his lap and different kids watched a film.
Previous to sharing what Alfaro-Lopez had performed to her, {the teenager} mentioned she shared it together with her greatest good friend who “reported Alfaro-Lopez did worse issues to her throughout the identical time interval,” in line with court docket paperwork.
It was famous that the evening earlier than {the teenager} instructed her mother and father what Alfaro-Lopez had performed to her, he allegedly instructed her father, who served as a pastor on the church, that he was responsible of abusing her greatest good friend too.
{The teenager}’s mom instructed police in an interview that she “discovered in regards to the alleged abuse of [her daughter] by Alfaro Lopez” in late summer season 2023. She confirmed that Alfaro-Lopez instructed her husband that he had sexually abused their daughter’s greatest good friend.
Police later recognized two sisters who alleged that Alfaro-Lopez had additionally touched them inappropriately over and beneath their garments throughout a category, whereas different college students had been praying with their eyes closed. Their father reportedly instructed police that Alfaro-Lopez had abused his daughters and the church had disciplined him for his conduct.
“[The victims’] father suggested that his daughters had beforehand instructed him of the abuse, that he had gone to the church Pastor and instructed him what had occurred, and that the incident had been dealt with contained in the church,” the charging paperwork mentioned.
One of many sisters acknowledged that Alfaro Lopez “acquired in hassle” after he was reported and he was banned from educating. She additionally famous that Alfaro-Lopez was deported, however he ultimately returned to the church.
He was arrested on March 11, 2024, following an investigation by the Montgomery County Police Particular Victims Investigations Division and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 28.
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