List of Alleged Rape Victims Swells to Ten in South Kitsap Case

Investigators have received accounts from four more people — three women and one girl — who say a former pastor of The Church in South Colby committed sexual abuse against them while they were minors, according to the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office.

Robbin Leeroy Harper, 60, was charged Thursday by Kitsap County Prosecutors with eight felonies that emerged from accusations of molestation or rape by five women or girls, all members of the South Kitsap church Harper is said to have established.

New allegations could bring additional charges by prosecutors, Kitsap County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kelly Montgomery said Thursday at Harper’s arraignment.

Detectives’ interviews with the four — ages 24, 20, 20 and 16 — followed a familiar pattern established in the initial six accusations of abuse. Inside the ex-pastor’s home or church office, Harper would inappropriately touch them — in one instance a girl at age 7 — and the incidents sometimes led to further molestation or rape, according to court documents in the case. If they questioned Harper, he said to some of the alleged victims that he was “preparing them for marriage,” according to court documents.

The sheriff’s office investigation began when one woman, age 20, called 911 to report sex abuse about two weeks ago. Since then, nine other women or girls have come forward with stories of abuse perpetrated by Harper. Prosecutors may formulate charges based on nine of the women’s accusations, because one woman’s story falls outside the statute of limitations, the sheriff’s office said.

Harper, who in court documents is said to be a veteran who receives both veteran’s affairs and social security income, is believed to have founded the approximately 60 member non-denominational church some time around 1980, at his home at 3525 Arvick Road.

He remains in the Kitsap County jail on $500,000 bail. His next appearance in Kitsap County Superior Court will be Nov. 29.

Read Another Article

Miracle babies pastor battles extradition bid
DNA could clear ‘Satanic’ triple murder teenagers

Related News Articles Topic(s): Robbin Harper • The Church in South Colby Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com Robbin Harper Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog