A North Texas pastor was arrested Thursday on charges that he sexually abused a child, according to Tarrant County court records.
Johel LaFaurie was charged for continuous sexual abuse of a young child — an accusation related to sexual abuse against a child younger than 14 years old more than once during a 30-day period.
LaFaurie, 65, serves as the lead pastor at Iglesia Cristiana Verdad Viviente in Watauga. He did not respond to a request for comment.
This is the second North Texas pastor facing abuse allegations this month.
Frisco megachurch pastor Jerry Nickerson was fired Jan. 6 after voluntarily admitting to “inappropriate contact with a minor” when he was a volunteer youth leader at a previous church, church leadership said.
Hope Fellowship Church members received an email about student pastor Nickerson’s firing after he told church leaders he was “unexpectedly confronted about these past incidents.”
Nickerson told church leadership the incident occurred 10 years ago and the church was not aware of any accusations against Nickerson before he came forward, leadership said. Nickerson did not respond to a request for comment. No criminal charges have been filed.
“We are devastated by this news,” lead pastor John McKinzie said in the email. “We believe that this behavior is disqualifying to those in pastoral and leadership positions, and Hope Fellowship is committed to supporting and advocating for victims of abuse.”
Got a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org.
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