North Texas Man Admits To Sexually Assaulting 4 Children He Met At Church
MCKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) - Police in McKinney said that a young man who met children through church meetings has admitted to sexually assaulting four of them between the ages of 2 and 6 over the course of the last seven years.
Noel Anderson, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located at 1020 North Lake Forest Drive, held responsibilities at the church such as primary school teacher for children ages 7-8 in 2014.
The 22-year-old man also came into contact with children through other church activities.
Anderson was arrested on March 23 and is being held at the Collin County Jail on a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child, with bond set at $100,000.
A spokesman for the church, Tod K. Richardson, told CBS 11 News that Anderson taught kids for two hours on Sundays in 2014, while their parents were at Sunday school.
The church released the following statement:
The Church teaches that abuse of any kind is offensive to God and is sinful and wrong. It cannot be tolerated in the Church. We remember the words of Jesus Christ, who taught that harming a child is among the most serious of offenses. Anyone who engages in such behavior is rightfully subject to criminal prosecution and will also face discipline from the Church, including loss of Church membership.
The church said that Anderson would have been paired up with another teacher, and would not have been alone with kids during that time.
Anderson lived less than five minutes from the church, with his parents. His family did not want to comment.
Anderson is now married.
The McKinney Police Department is asking parents of children who were in Anderson' care talk with their child. If they believe that any inappropriate contact was made by Anderson, they urge them to contact Det. U. Watson at 972-547-2729 or uwatson@mckinneytexas.org.