Pastor accused of sexually assaulting boy
Posted by
IB ContributorMarch 31, 2007 11:33 PMA south Sacramento pastor accused of sexually assaulting a teenage boy earlier this month told reporters that he is "innocent" and that "God will help uncover the truth," according to an interview published in The Sacramento Bee.
"I have no idea why I'm here," Frederick Dew told a reporter from behind a glass partition at the Sacramento County jail. "I have just been praying and just believing in God, just waiting to go to court to see what God will do."
Dew, 34, of the Praise Tabernacle church, is being held on suspicion of allegedly assaulting a 13-year-old boy inside a bathroom at a library. Sacramento police arrested Dew on suspicion of committing lewd acts with a child under 14 by force, oral copulation with a child under 16 and false imprisonment -- all felonies. The victim, according to police, escaped the assault and immediately reported what happened to library officials. On-site security then managed to get a description of the suspect as he was leaving, according to the article.
Dew said he was at the library studying 1 Corinthians, Chapter 12, for a weekend church conference on relationships and marriage. He said he took notes while seated at a table near a window, and, during his time there, did not see a teenage boy. He said he left the library at about 4:30 or 5 p.m. and returned to his congregation.
Later that evening, he said, police telephoned the church and said one of its vehicles had been involved in a serious crime. Dew said he agreed to meet with detectives the following afternoon, but said detectives became angry when he refused to admit to assaulting the boy.
This case interests me because the boy went to the police right away. I applaud the teenager's courage. He did the right thing instead of succumbing to the fear and cowering with shame and guilt, which by the way, is what most victims of such an assault tend to do.
This case is yet to be tried, but it boggles my mind that a pastor who would quietly retire to a corner in the library to read the Bible, would be the target of such a horrible accusation.
If you have been a victim of clergy abuse, call me for a free and completely confidential consultation. Call me before it's too late to take action.