The pastor of a Pentecostal church in Philadelphia has been convicted of sexual assault of three minors, including a former congregant, in incidents dating back two decades.
On Wednesday, a jury in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, found Rev. Mark Hatcher, lead pastor of Holy Ghost Headquarters Revival Center, guilty of 10 counts of sex crimes against minors, according to court records. These included multiple charges of rape, statutory sexual assault, and indecent assault.
Assistant District Attorney Caroline Goldstein, lead prosecutor in the case, told the jury that Hatcher used his position of authority and trust as a minister to prey on his three victims. In incidents between 2000 and 2008, Hatcher brought one of the victims to his home or to a church-owned property and assaulted them, according to a probable cause affidavit previously reported by The Roys Report (TRR).
One girl, then age 13, stated that Hatcher brought her to an unoccupied home owned by the church that was under renovation, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
While she was alone with him in the house, he pinned her to a mattress and raped her, covering her mouth as she screamed for help, according to the affidavit. That incident was reported in 2008 to Philadelphia police, but investigators say prosecutors at the time did not pursue charges.
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