Pastor Faces 142 Charges in Child Sex Crimes

FAYETTEVILLE, NC (WTVD) —

A former pastor is charged in the rapes of four children during the course of 13 years. Glenn Tyrone Collins turned himself into authorities Monday after police issued a warrant for his arrest.

Collins faces 142 charges.

• 12 counts of 1st Degree Rape
• 5 counts of 1st Degree Sexual Offense
• 5 counts of 2nd Degree Rape
• 3 counts of 2nd Degree Sexual Offense
• 9 counts of Statutory Rape
• 6 counts of Statutory Sexual Offense
• 32 counts of Indecent Liberties with a Child
• 25 counts of Child Sex – Sexual Activity
• 39 counts of Sexual Activity by a Parent
• 2 counts of Crimes Against Nature
• 2 counts of Sexual Battery
• 1 count of Attempted 2nd Degree Sexual Offense
• 1 count of Attempted Crimes Against Nature

According to detectives, Collins raped four children, including one of his neighbors, repeatedly between 1996 and 2009.

Police finally began working the case after one of the victims came forward after what was described as years of emotional torture.

“This person was going through emotional trauma when they told the mother, so a lot of times none of us know that folks are being violated, particularly folks they hold in high esteem,” said Police Capt. Darry Whitaker. Collins made his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon where District Attorney Billy West requested that he remain in jail without bond.

“It’s very unfortunate and troubling these are some of the most difficult and disturbing cases,” West said. “Our children are vulnerable and they need to be protected and when allegations like this come forward it’s particularly troubling.”
In court, Collins pleaded with a judge for his release and explained to the judge that he was “a pillar in the community” and that he wasn’t “guilty of this stuff.”

But Fayetteville Police say they have plenty of evidence that proves otherwise.

“We’ll have 142 charges and we were able to collect enough data, and we feel confident about what we have,” said Capt. Whitaker.

Collins is being held at the Cumberland County Jail on a $3.75 million secured bond.

Anyone who has information related to these or other crimes involving this offender is asked to please contact Detective T. Huggins, who is the lead detective in this investigation at (910) 303-5470 or Sergeant P. Smith at (910) 433-1851.

Wife of Pastor Accused of Child Sex Trafficking Has Been Arrested

(TOLEDO, Ohio) — The wife of one of three Ohio pastors accused of child sex trafficking has been indicted on federal charges accusing her of interfering in her husband’s investigation.

U.S. District Court records show 43-year-old Laura Lloyd-Jenkins was arrested Friday in Toledo on such charges as obstructing a sex trafficking investigation and making a false statement.

Court records show she pleaded not guilty and was ordered held pending a detention hearing. Her attorney declined to comment after the arraignment.

Lucas County commissioners recently fired Lloyd-Jenkins from her job as a county administrator in Ohio.

Her husband, Cordell Jenkins, pleaded not guilty to charges alleging he and two other pastors conspired to recruit teen girls to have sex with them and shared photos and videos of the girls.

Mike Tobin, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said FBI agents arrested her Friday afternoon and she appeared in U.S. District Court before Judge Jack Zouhary.

Ms. Lloyd-Jenkins pleaded not guilty to both charges during her arraignment Friday. Judge Zouhary ordered her held in the Lucas County jail pending a detention hearing Thursday. Her pretrial was set for Jan. 8.

She appeared subdued as she was led into the courtroom in handcuffs. She made no statement during the arraignment beyond answering questions from the judge.

Stevin Groth, her defense lawyer, declined to comment after the proceeding.

Michael Freeman, an assistant U.S. attorney, said after the proceeding, “The grand jury has found probable cause to both of these charges and we look forward to seeing this process through.”

The charges stem from an FBI investigation last spring that led to the indictment of the Rev. Cordell Jenkins, 47, the Rev. Anthony Haynes, 38, and, subsequently, the Rev. Kenneth Butler, 37, for sex trafficking of children and production of child pornography.

Federal prosecutors allege the three men sexually assaulted a girl who was just 14 when the activity began in 2014. It is alleged that some of the crimes occurred at Mr. Jenkins’ church, Abundant Life Ministries, and at Mr. Haynes’ church, Greater Life Christian Center.

According to a superseding indictment filed Friday, Ms. Lloyd-Jenkins obstructed the investigation by notifying a defendant — presumably her husband — of the forthcoming investigation between March 29 and April 12.

She also is accused of making false statements April 12 to law enforcement officers “by lying and misrepresenting the nature, depth, and scope of her knowledge” of the sex trafficking conspiracy, the indictment states.

In July, county commissioners suspended Ms. Lloyd-Jenkins without pay for two weeks after a federal court hearing in which an FBI agent testified that she was made aware of her husband’s alleged crimes at least a week before his arrest on April 7.

Ms. Lloyd-Jenkins had also been secretary of the Lucas County Children Services Board at the time of her husband’s arrest. She subsequently took a leave from that board and later resigned.

Commissioners then placed her on paid administrative leave beginning Aug. 1 and terminated her Nov. 28.

Board President Pete Gerken said Friday that commissioners were unaware charges would be brought against Ms. Lloyd-Jenkins. He reiterated what he said when she was fired.

“Commissioners released her from employment because we felt she was no longer the right person to represent the county in the highest non-elected position,” he said.

She was hired as county administrator in March, 2013. Prior to that, she had worked in administrative positions in Alameda County, California for 11 years.

The three pastors are being held in jail pending trial. The next hearing in their case is scheduled for Jan. 8 before Judge Zouhary.

Sexual Scandals in the Roman Catholic Church

VATICAN CITY — A Vatican diplomat working in Washington has been recalled to the Holy See after the U.S. State Department said the priest may have violated child pornography laws, the Vatican said on Friday.

Prosecutors in the Vatican have opened an investigation into the case, which represents a fresh blow to the Roman Catholic Church as it struggles to overcome repeated sex abuse scandals among its clergy.

The State Department notified the Holy See in August “of a possible violation of laws relating to child pornography images by a member of the diplomatic corps of the Holy See to ensure full implementation of its reforms and policies designed to protect minors and provide justice regarding allegations” the spokesman said.

A State Department spokesman said the United States had requested that the man’s diplomatic immunity be waived to open the way for possible prosecution, but the Vatican refused.

The priest, who was not named, has returned to Vatican City and is awaiting the outcome of the Holy See investigation, which could lead to a trial in the tiny city state.

The U.S.-based Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests said possession of child pornography was not a victimless crime because the children involved were being abused.

“(Pope Francis) must bring the diplomat back to the United States in order to adhere to his promises of complying with investigations by civil authorities in cases of child sexual abuse,” SNAP managing director Barbara Dorris said.

Pope Francis has declared zero tolerance over abuse scandals that have beset the Church for decades, but has appeared to struggle to overcome resistance within the Vatican hierarchy.

The State Department spokesman said the pope had promised to “act decisively with regard to cases of sexual abuse” and punish those found guilty of wrongdoing.

“The United States encourages the Holy See to ensure full implementation of its reforms and policies designed to protect minors and provide justice regarding allegations,” the spokesman said.

Two years ago the Vatican put the former papal ambassador to the Dominican Republic on trial for child sex offences, a case that was seen as showing the pope’s determination to clean up the Church.

The priest, Jozef Wesolowski, was charged with paying boys to perform sexual acts, of downloading and buying pedophile material. He died before a verdict was reached.

He was the first high-ranking Catholic official to stand trial in the Vatican on such sex charges and the case was closely watched by victims of priestly abuse, who have accused the Vatican of repeatedly hushing up previous scandals.

Just last month, in the foreword to a new book written by a Swiss man who was raped by a priest when he was 8 years old, Pope Francis said sexual abuse of children by priests was a “monstrosity” and pledged to take action against perpetrators.

[Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Additional reporting by Steve Scherer in Rome and David Alexander in Washington; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg]