Berea Baptist youth pastor Jeremy Workman charged with sex with girl

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

John Caniglia

Plain Dealer Reporter

A youth pastor had sex with a teenage girl in his offices at the Berea Baptist Church over a span of years, police say.

Jeremy Workman, 32, of Olmsted Falls, was charged last week in Berea Municipal Court with unlawful sexual contact with a minor and possession of criminal tools.

He resigned from the church in January. The girl was 15 and a member of the youth group when the two began their sexual relationship in 2004, police said. Today, she is 19 and pregnant with his child.

Workman had served as the church's youth pastor since 2000. He had never been in trouble before.

"This kind of evil behavior takes place frequently in secular venues, but when it occurs in a holy setting like God's house, it is especially grievous," the church's senior pastor, Kenneth Spink, said in a statement.

Workman also worked part time in the weight room of the Berea Recreation Center from April 2007 to January, said Police Chief Mark Schultz. No work-related problems were reported.

Workman's attorney, David Grant, could not be reached for comment.

Workman resigned from the church job weeks after he learned the girl was pregnant, although it appears nothing illegal was done at that time since the girl was an adult, Berea police Detective Dennis Bort said.

The police investigation began in late February, when a church official brought in copies of seven e-mails Workman and the teenager exchanged about sex in 2004 and 2005.

His were on his home computer and his wife brought the e-mails to the church.

Bort obtained the computers of Workman and the girl's family. The criminal tools charge stems from the use of computers. The detective described the teenager as a reluctant witness, though she confirmed the details of the case.

After Workman resigned from his jobs, he left Ohio to become a truck driver. Bort located him in California, and Workman agreed to return to Ohio.

Bort said Workman and the girl had ended their relationship when she was 17, as she had a boyfriend and later went to college. During a break from school, Workman and the teenager met again, he said.

"It was his job to teach her right from wrong and put her on the right path in life," Bort said. "He preyed upon the church's faith."

Plain Dealer news researcher Tonya Sams contributed to this story.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

jcaniglia@plaind.com, 216-999-4097

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1206520340126350.xml&coll=2