Church Leader Told Boy He Molested 'God Would Want You to Do This'
A church youth group director invoked God as he molested a young boy decades ago, authorities said Friday.
Richard Garnett, a former director of a church youth group in Pennsylvania, has been convicted of sexual assault and child endangerment, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday. Authorities allege that Garnett, 73, sexually abused a young boy in the church basement between 2004 and 2006. During the trial, the victim recalled being assaulted by Garnett at least three times when he was in first or second grade.
The boy also stated that Garnett forced him to wash his hands after each assault and told him, "God would want you to do this." Garnett was previously sentenced to at least six years in prison in 2021 for sexually assaulting two girls in the early 1980s. He admitted to being sexually attracted to children decades ago but claimed he did not exploit a third victim and had transformed his life after reading the Bible and praying.
Written by urgent.news from Newsweek's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
