An evangelical pastor in Covina, California is currently on the run from authorities after being accused of sexually assaulting a preteen girl who was on vacation in the U.S. from China.
Police say, Pastor Douglas Rivera of God’s Gypsy Christian Church in Glendale, stalked two underage girls (ages 10 and 12) prior to the attack. According to reports, the young girls were a part of a field trip from China. Police believe Rivera “forced his way into the room once the minors opened the door believing it was their chaperone.”
Rivera was captured on surveillance video at the scene.
Shortly after the attack, Rivera posted a video on social media, proclaiming his innocence.
“I did not do nothing wrong,” Rivera said in a video he posted online Friday.
“I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Something happened in that hotel, and that’s the simple answer,” Rivera claimed.
“I’ve just finished with my lawyer,” he added. “I am going to jail on Wednesday, with the lawyer, to submit myself so they could continue their investigation. There is absolutely no truth to that. No matter what you see on the Instagram or the TV, there is no truth to it.”
“I love you Los Angeles. Please, keep me in prayer,” Rivera concluded. “God will take his truth out. I love you.”
Upon searching Rivera’s home police found that his vehicle had recently been painted, leading them to suspect that the poster was seeking to evade capture. Incidentally, residents living near Rivera’s church didn’t seem that surprised by the allegations. They told KABC that Rivera’s congregation as often being drunk, disorderly, and threatening.
“The character of this pastor – I’ve never seen anyone like him. He seemed violent, he didn’t seem like a pastor…they seem more like gangsters, you know, than people of faith.”
The people I really feel for are those in his congregation who must now wonder if this man had touched their children. It must be an agonizing possibility to consider, especially when it involves someone you’ve put your faith into for many years.
If this man is truly guilty (which seems incredibly likely), let’s hope authorities can catch the sick bastard before he either “lays hands” on another child or takes the coward’s way out to meet his God before he can be punished on earth.
Featured image via YouTube
