Resigned Pastor Sentenced in Sex Offense Case

A man who was a pastor at an Everett church was recently sentenced in a case involving what the former pastor thought was a 16-year-old girl. The associate pastor, J.L., resigned after his arrest in Seattle. Authorities state that he offered to pay a minor for sex after going through an advertisement on the internet. With information from the advertisement, J.L. arranged to meet with who he thought was a 16-year-old girl offering sex for money. He agreed to meet the teen in Seattle with the alleged intention of giving her money for performing sex acts. When he arrived at the meeting place and began talking to the girl, however, police arrived and took the 55-year-old man into custody. The "teen" turned out to be a police detective working as part of a sting operation to catch patrons of sex traffickers. He was initially charged with the felony offense of commercial sex abuse of a minor but was able to get the charges reduced as part of a plea deal. He pled guilty to second degree assault and was sentenced to serve three months in jail and pay $5,000 in fines and fees. Additionally, he has been ordered to attend "john school" (classes intended to get individuals accused of seeking prostitutes to discontinue doing so in the future) and he is prohibited from going onto websites relating to escort services or prostitution. Sex crime accusations can ruin your personal and professional reputation as well as result in serious penalties. Make sure you have a highly competent criminal defense attorney fighting for you.

Criminal Defense Lawyer Serving Clients in Everett, WA

Don't hesitate to get the help of an attorney right away if you have been charged with a sex offense or other criminal charge. Sex offense charges for accusations such as sexual relationship with a minor, sexual assault, sexting a minor, prostitution, rape or statutory rape can have severe penalties and repercussions. Besides the possibility of many years behind bars, thousands in fines, probation and mandatory counseling you may have to register on the national sex offender list. This can greatly infringe on your privacy and ruin your reputation. You may find it difficult to find work or a place to live. You deserve to have your side of the story given a full hearing and I may be able to ensure that occurs as well as fighting the charges against you. Contact me at the Law Office of Scott Lawrence, PLLC today to find out how I may be able to help.