A 42-year-old man has been arrested on two counts of sexual battery after accusations that he groomed and sexually abused a juvenile female victim while serving as a youth pastor in Jacksonville, Florida. Joshua Trent was working at both Hillcrest Baptist Church and Christian software company ChurchTrac at the time of the alleged abuse.
Editor’s note: This article refers to disturbing reports of child sex abuse, which some readers might find triggering.
The alleged crimes date back to 2016. Trent worked as a pastor at the church for roughly two years from 2016 to 2018. He worked at ChurchTrac from 2012 to 2021.
The alleged abuse is said to have taken place over a six-year period.
According to investigators for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO), Trent first became acquainted with the alleged victim at Hillcrest Baptist Church.
The alleged victim told police that Trent began regularly conversing with her via text and that he had told her she was allowed to give him “attack hugs,” something investigators believe was a ploy to acclimate the alleged victim to being touched by Trent.
Trent would babysit the alleged victim, and the victim claims that Trent used the opportunity to abuse her. The alleged victim claims that Trent forced her to have sexual intercourse with him.
The alleged victim reportedly also spent time with Trent at his office at ChurchTrac.
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The alleged victim is claiming that Trent seized control of her social media accounts, told her who she could and couldn’t be friends with, and threatened to harm himself when she resisted his advances. She also alleges that Trent threatened to harm himself if she reported his abuse.
