On Tuesday, a Maricopa County Superior Court grand jury indicted a former volunteer youth minister at First United Methodist Church of Gilbert on suspicion of molesting a 14-year-old mentally disabled girl at his home.James Ward Chapman III, 39, was arrested on July 14. He is charged with one count of molestation of a child and one count of sexual abuse.Court records show Chapman admitted to touching the privates of the girl, who was a family friend, in December 2006 while they watched television. She was not a member of the church, officials at the church said.It is Tribune policy not to release the names of possible victims of sex crimes.The Rev. Dan Morley, senior pastor at the church where Chapman volunteered and coached teen volleyball, said Chapman was removed from his volunteer position about six months ago after a young person complained he was "being too friendly." The incident was not reported to police, Morley said, because it did not appear criminal.Chapman is currently being held without bond at Maricopa County’s Fourth Avenue Jail.
Former Youth Minister Indicted for Child MolestationJuly 27th, 2007, 1:36 pm · 2 Comments · posted by Jill Redhage2 CommentsLeave a Reply |
There is a special hell for this guy. Molesting a 14-year-old mentally disabled girl is a crime that prison is not good enough. Let’s hope the stories of what happens to child molesters in prison are true..
Ward Chapman was not a “Minister” , strictly a volunteer. Get the facts right.