Shawn Anthony Justice, the 32-year-old former pastor of Corinthian Baptist Church, appeared in court briefly Thursday with his lawyer, Nelson Traverso.
Justice, who remains free without bail, has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor, a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. He is scheduled to go to trial later this month.
At a hearing scheduled for Thursday, Traverso will argue that the psychological records of the teenage victim should be admissable in court. Prosecutors will argue that at trial they should be able to show jurors Justice’s 2003 conviction for contributing to the delinquency of a minor in Virginia.
Justice was hired as the pastor of the Corinthian Baptist Church in 2007 and led the church for 15 months before he was dismissed in August 2008. He then led a satellite church, also in Fairbanks.
Fairbanks police believe Justice met the 15-year-old victim while he was pastor, but that the relationship did not become sexual until the summer of 2009, after he left the church.
Before that, Justice engaged in suspicious activity with the girl, such as sending her inappropriate text messages at church functions, according to police.
Justice’s firing led to a lengthy court battle about whether a church’s leadership or its congregation has the right to fire a pastor. That case ultimately was dismissed.
Supporters said Justice attracted new worshipers, especially younger people, to the church, while trustees said they found his leadership lacking.
Does anyone know the official verdicts? Very curious.
Hope the guy gets what he deserved. If anyone ever did that to my daughter, I dont know if I would be able to restrain myself and call the police.
If you are an adult you have authority, power, advantage, and influence over any child; especially, if you are a so-called pastor at a church. I'm sick of hearing that parents are exclusively and solely to blame when a child is sexually abused BY SOMEONE ELSE; isn't the person who abused the child to begin with actually at fault. Further more, I'm sickened by people who think trying to use the abused child, or their psychological records, is a "good" defense in turning the pedophile into the victim. A pedophile is not a victim once he abuses a child; he's a pedophile and one who should be held accountable for his/her actions.
An adult has power over any child, not the other way around! I don't care how "advanced", or intelligent, or "worldly" a child is, an adult should have the discipline and a brain to say no to their selfish urges, obsessions, wants or desires when it involves a child. Especially, when the situation includes a person who can't legally hold down a fulltime job without being in public school, or drive without a learners permit, vote without their mommy driving them to the polls, complete a project or chore that doesn't involve a weekly allowance, or support themselves to the point of living on their own without mommy and daddy right downstairs.
For those of you out there who claim a child can influence a man, or woman, into a sexual situation beyond the control of the adult, you all need some serious help. Clearly, this means nothing more than the adult being the weaker individual of the two, involved in this abusive power controlled situation. If you are so weak that you can't control yourself around a child sexually, maybe you should not be around children. They are children, that's the point. They aren't sexual objects to overpower and control for your selfish needs!
Yes, a church should have back ground checks in place for folks they employ; however, that doesn't release a person from their premeditated, intended, deliberate, or "impulsive" actions when they've committed a crime.
"Oh, I'm sorry judge I didn't intend to kill so-in-so when I allowed myself to drive after drinking alcohol."
" But judge, I didn't understand WHY I pulled out a gun and robbed a bank, it was just an impulse. Yes, I injured people but I couldn't control my actions. I NEEDED to do that!"
A crime against a child is a crime against a child; regardless of the fact that the child is 3mths. old, 5 yrs. old, 9yrs. old, 15yrs. old, or 17yrs. old In other words, the church didn't rape, sexually abuse or take advantage of this girl, the ex-pastor Shawn Anthony Justice did.
What, this so called pastor, or ex-pastor, a 32 yr. old man couldn't get himself an over 18 yr. old woman? Was he so deprived of human contact, or sex, that he couldn't find ANY 18 yr. old female to relate to? He couldn't get a woman his own age, or any female over the age of 18, so he set his sights and physical wants over a female child; no doubt, one that he could control because clearly he is too weak and too insecure to handle an adult woman, or situation involving an adult woman. So instead, control a child sexually; why not an animal, they don't talk back or tell someone when they've been hurt, but maybe he's already thought of that.
Yes, I'm well aware that some situations involve a circumstance where an adult was targeted; however, that doesn’t mean that person, the adult, can't run away and go tell someone. Isn't that what we tell our children to do? Well, that is what children are suppose to do, unless they are threatened by an adult not tell or else.
Clearly, Mr.Justice has a problem being around children; especially since he was convicted before of a crime involving a child.
Even if the church overlooked this fact, or never investigated who he was, MR.JUSTICE IS STILL TO BLAME FOR HIS ACTIONS! He is still responsible for what he did. He is still accountable for what he decided to do. An adult does not have a "romantic" or sexual relationship with a child; did she hold him at gun point! Maybe she should have, then at least she could legally call herself a victim with some imagined, schemed up, BS plan created in her defense. She surely could use her psychological records then, and claim to be a victim that needed to hold a man at gunpoint so she could make him have sex with her because she's such a sexy child who has needs. Give me a friggin' break! Stand up, be a man for once, a true man of God, and take responsibility for what you did! That child did not MAKE you sexually molest or abuse her! You could've walked away from that 15 yr. old child at any given moment! You did not HAVE to do what you did; and you "surely" were not forced to engage in any form of sexual act with that child! Regardless of what your attorney says or what that child’s "psychological records" say. You controlled her, NOT the other way around; no matter how you try to "spin" it.
How convenient.
Nelson Traverso is a good person and a good attorney. But it hurts my heart to see so many victims (especially children) persecuted in order to ensure a defendant's "rights." Victims should have at least the same, if not more, rights than the criminal.
My question is, why should her psychological disposition make a difference? Do we not have physical evidence? Corroborating witnesses?
While I don't know this victim, I'm wondering, does it really matter whether she has a psychological issue? Would the evidence support her testimony, even if she wasn't a "perfect" victim (straight-a student, perfect hair and teeth, high school cheerleader...you get the picture), as opposed to a victim who had experienced a less than perfect childhood and had come out of it with some issues?
I'm not saying throw away our Constitution. I am saying that as a community, we need to re-evaluate how we see a "victim" and we need to support and protect that victim, in spite of any "issues" that victim may have.