Assaults and Sexual Crimes 07/02/2023

(June 29) Former Round Rock Pastor Pleads Guilty Child Pornography Charges | Austin, TX

A former Round Rock pastor pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to an “enhanced charge of possession of child pornography,” according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

David Lloyd Walther, 57, knowingly searched for, downloaded, distributed and possessed child sexual abuse material, including child pornography—some of which depicted prepubescent minors—using BitTorrent, a peer-to-peer file sharing network, according to the DOJ.

Two large computers were found during a search of Walther’s home and vehicle in November 2022 that contained more than 100,000 images and more than 5,000 videos of child sex abuse material, the release said.

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(June 29) Former Santa Fe Priest Arrested On Federal Child Sexual Abuse Charge | Santa Fe, NM

A Roman Catholic priest removed last year from his parish church in Santa Fe was arrested Thursday on a federal charge alleging that he sexually assaulted a boy in 2012.

Daniel Balizan, 61, a former pastor at Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Community in Santa Fe, was indicted last week by a federal grand jury for a reported case of child sexual abuse in August and September of 2012, according to the indictment.

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(June 27) Kenosha Pastor Charged With Repeated Sexual Assault Of Child | Kenosha, WI

A 66-year-old Kenosha pastor is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a child over several years.

David T. DeBerge was charged this month with repeated felony sexual assault of same child (at least three violations of first-degree sexual assault) and another sexual assault-related felony in Kenosha County Circuit Court.

DeBerge made his initial appearance at Intake Court Monday where a court commissioner imposed a $25,000 cash bond. DeBerge posted bond Tuesday, according to court records.

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(June 23) Former Plover Youth Minister Convicted Of Child Sexual Assault | Stevens Point, WI

A former youth minister for Plover has been found guilty of child sex abuse.

As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Jordan Huffman was found guilty of two felonies for repeatedly sexually assaulting the same child.

The hearing resulted in the dismissal of several other accusations, including first-degree child sex assault.

The victim’s parents reportedly requested that Huffman teach their son who was misbehaving at school and consuming alcohol while he was serving as a youth pastor at Plover’s Woodlands Church.

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(June 22) Oregon Religious Leader Convicted Of Child Sexual Abuse Sentenced To 13 Years In Prison | Portland, OR

An Oregon religious leader convicted multiple times of sexually abusing a former church member when she was a child has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison.

Circuit Judge Andrew Lavin sentenced Michael Sperou Tuesday for two counts of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. The judge granted Sperou credit for time served in previous cases but said he is ineligible for other sentence reduction programs and ordered him to register as a sex offender.

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