A church elder has been arrested after being accused of repeated sexual abuse of a minor. Michael Maxwell of Redeemer Church of Orange County in Newport Beach, California, was removed from his position at the church following his arrest and has been barred from receiving communion.
Editor’s note: This article refers to disturbing reports of child sex abuse that some readers might find triggering.
According to a press release, Maxwell is accused of sexually assaulting a female victim over the course of 10 years. The alleged victim is currently a teenager.
Maxwell has been charged with oral copulation, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, sexual penetration with a foreign object, lewd or lascivious acts with a child, and continuous sexual abuse of a child.
RELATED: Youth Pastor Arrested for Allegedly Posing as Teen on TikTok To Solicit Explicit Images From Minor
The victim came forward to authorities earlier this month, Kyle Odoerp of the Irvine Police Department said. (Irvine neighbors Newport Beach and is where Maxwell lives.)
In a letter written to the congregation, Josh Hahne, senior pastor of Redeemer Church, said that the crimes of which Maxwell has been accused did not occur at the church but that church leadership is “concerned about the possibility of other victims.”
Hahne urged congregants to alert the authorities to any further allegations, saying, “As a church, we are committed to supporting victims of abuse and to holding anyone who abuses a child accountable.”
“I have met with Michael and confronted him with the allegation of serious and longstanding sexual abuse of a minor,” Hahne said. “Michael did not admit guilt in a legal sense. With that said, he did not deny the veracity of these reports and said enough to make clear that the allegations against him are credible.”
RELATED: OK Pastor Arrested for Allegedly Recording Up a Woman’s Skirt at Hobby Lobby
Hahne added that he and “other credible people have received information” that makes him “believe the actions taken by the police are justified.”
