Adventist Deacon Charged With Sexual Abuse of Child
May 3, 2017: Barry Todd Durrell, a deacon at an Adventist church in Houston, Texas has been charged with super aggravated sexual assault and continuous sexual abuse of a child.
Houston-based CBS affiliate TV station, KHOU11 reported on its website that police have arrested Durrell and are on the search for more victims.
There have been charges filed for at least two incidents of sexual abuse that, according to Houston Police, took place at West Houston Seventh-day Adventist Church.
A mother of a two-year-old boy allegedly discovered Durrell in a church closet with her son. He is accused of sexually assaulting him there in May 2016.
In February 2017 a seven-year-old boy accused Durrell of abusing him in more than one location. Durrell allegedly took the boy into a church restroom and assaulted him.
Although Durrell did not feature on a sex offender list, police say Durrell was convicted of a similar offence in California in 1988.
Police believe that there are other victims in the community as Durrell has been in the Houston area for 30 years.
The West Houston Seventh-day Adventist Church released a statement acknowledging the arrest of one of its members.
The church condemned the alleged offenses and said it is cooperating fully with authorities.
Photo is publicly available from Houston PD
