The pastor of a church in Takoma Park, Maryland, has been convicted of sexually assaulting a member of his church.
A judge found 39-year-old Erick Odir Vidal Fuentes, of Hyattsville, guilty on charges of second-degree rape and fourth-degree sex offense after a bench trial concluded on Tuesday.
Vidal Fuentes was the pastor at Iglesia Pentecostal El Fin Viene Church on New Hampshire Avenue.
Prosecutors said he sexually assaulted a parishioner on Sept. 29, 2020.
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“The defendant abused his position as head of a church to gain the confidence of this parishioner, and then violated her trust, victimizing her,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said.
Another member of the church came forward and accused Vidal Fuentes of assaulting her. That case is still pending, the state's attorney's office said.
