Religion and Child Abuse News: Married Iowa youth pastor prayed as he sexually abused teen boys to spiritually purify them

The Daily Nonpareil - Council Bluffs, Iowa March 17, 2011

Girouex: I helped men gain 'sexual purity'

By Chad Nation, News Editor

A former Council Bluffs youth pastor allegedly told the teens he is accused of sexually exploiting that he was trying to help them gain “sexual purity in the eyes of God.”

Brent Girouex, 31, told Council Bluffs police detectives in February that starting in 2007 he had sexual contact with four young men who he knew while he was a youth pastor for Victory Fellowship Church.

Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber said the number has risen since Girouex first talked with police on Feb. 16. Now, Wilber said there are at least eight people who have come forward.

Girouex was arrested on 60 counts of suspicion of sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist earlier this month and has been released on a $30,000 bond. He is due back in court on April 21.

The Rev. Lonnie Parton of Victory Fellowship Church said church leaders were stunned when four young men came forward with allegations against Girouex in February.

Once Parton learned of the allegations, he confronted Girouex and told him he needed to go to the police and make a confession. He did so on Feb. 16.

Court documents indicated Girouex told investigators the most sexual contact he had was with one teen over a four-year period, starting when the boy was 14 years old. Girouex speculated that he had “mutual” sexual contact with the teen between “25 and 50 times” over the four-year period.

When investigators spoke to the teen, who is now an adult, he told them the number was between 50 and 100 times.

Girouex allegedly said as a youth pastor he felt it was his duty “to help (the teen) with homosexual urges by praying while he had sexual contact with him.”

Several additional victims also spoke with detectives.

At least three others – who were teenagers when the incidents occurred – told investigators the events happened at Girouex’s home. All three said they were at the house to be helped with “sexual purity.”

Another man said he was 23 years old and having problems with his wife when Girouex wanted to “help him with his issues.” The man alleged Girouex pulled down his pants and began to touch his genitals.

Yet another man said that over a five-week period when he was 20 years old, Girouex slowly evolved sexually contacting him from touching him over his clothes to oral sex.

Court documents stated Girouex said during all of the incidents, it was only about “helping the victims gain sexual purity.”

“When they would ejaculate, they would be getting rid of the evil thoughts in their mind,” he allegedly told detectives.

While there are at least eight people who have come forward, Wilber said investigators are still following leads to see if there are more victims in the case.

This article was found at:

http://www.southwestiowanews.com/articles/2011/03/17/council_bluffs/doc4d822e3a97362006634458.txt

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CNN - March 15, 2011

Former youth pastor faces 60 charges of sexual exploitation

OMAHA, IA (CNN) - An Iowa community is in shock after a youth pastor was accused of having sex with several young men in his congregation.

Brent Girouex is facing 60 counts of felony sexual exploitation.

Court documents show four alleged victims came forward to the church's pastor. The young men explained how Girouex talked them into having sexual contact with him by explaining to them they would gain "sexual purity in the eyes of God."

Church leadership told Girouex to turn himself in, which he did on Feb. 16, telling police he wanted to confess what he had done.

Girouex told investigators he engaged in sex acts with a 14-year-old victim at the time 25 to 50 times over a four-year period, all the while praying while they two had sexual contact.

Girouex joined the church in 2006 as an unpaid volunteer in the youth department. Pastor Patron said the church has a policy of running background checks on all people who work with the church's kids, but Girouex's came up clean.

The county attorney worries there may be other victims that have not yet come forward.

Officials said Girouex was released from custody after posting bail. He is due back in court next month.

This article was found at:

http://www.wdam.com/Global/story.asp?S=14256292

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KETV 7 ABC - Omaha March 14, 2011

Ex-Pastor Faces 60 Sex Charges

Former Iowa Youth Pastor Out On Bond

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa --Pottawattamie County officials said former Council Bluffs youth pastor, Brent Girouex, 31, is out of jail Monday night after he surrendered to authorities last month.

Court officials said Girouex posted bond on a $30,000 bail. He's due in court April 21.

Police said Girouex confessed to engaging in sex acts with at least six boys and men. In one instance, Girouex told police he had sexual contact with a teenage boy 25 to 50 times over a four-year period. The boy was 14 years old when the sex acts began, according to court documents.

Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber said his office is now working with eight alleged victims.

Wilber said Girouex has been charged with 60 counts of sexual exploitation.

Lonnie Parton, a Victory Fellowship Church pastor, said they were caught by surprise when four young men came forward with the allegations in early February. They told him that Girouex talked them into having sexual contact with him by explaining to them this was to gain "sexual purity in the eyes of God."

Parton said church leadership told Girouex to turn himself in, which he did on Feb. 16.

Parton said the church has a policy of running background checks on "all people who work with the church's kids" and Girouex's background check came up clean when he came to the church in 2006 as a volunteer in the youth department.

Wilber said Girouex told police that both he and his alleged victims were praying while they had sexual contact.

"In my line of work, I get to see the worst of the worst, and this is pretty bad," Wilber said.

Given the allegations, Wilber said he is worried that there may be more alleged victims that have not yet come forward.

"The only way that I can truly say this won't happen to somebody else is for us to get a full picture of what we've got, and then we can present that full picture to the court," Wilber said.

This article was found at:

http://www.ketv.com/r/27196314/detail.html

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