Thread: City Pastor Charged With Raping Girl, 11, Who Had His Baby

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-ct ... ines-local

City Pastor Charged With Raping Girl, 11, Who Had His Baby
June 23, 2006
By CAROLYN MOREAU, Courant Staff Writer A Hartford pastor was charged with raping an 11-year-old girl, who gave birth to the man's child in May, city police said Thursday.

Police said that the rapes took place in his church at 889 Broad St. and that they are looking for other possible victims.

Modesto Reyes of 28-30 Ellsworth St. was arrested at his home Wednesday and charged with four counts of first-degree sexual assault, four counts of second-degree sexual assault, and four counts of risk of injury to a minor. Police said he was in custody Thursday, with bail set at $750,000.

Police said they learned of the rapes two days before the girl, now 12, gave birth to a baby on May 24 after a full-term pregnancy. DNA tests confirmed that Reyes, 52, is the father of the baby, police said.

The Inglesia De Dios `Cristo Te Llama' church, where Reyes is pastor, is housed in a two-story building made of gray concrete blocks. The downstairs windows are covered by white-painted bars. On one side of the church is a boarded-up brick building. A vacant lot sits on the other side. Reyes' name is displayed on a large blue sign over the front door. Floodlights make sure it can be seen at night.

The 50 or so people who came to worship almost every night of the week were mostly young women and teenage girls, said Ismael Alamo, who lives in an apartment nearby.

But Reyes welcomed everyone to his church.

Pancho Almeja, who lives nearby, said that on several occasions this past year, Reyes tried to get him to attend services, which are conducted in Spanish. Almeja, who says he is an atheist, always refused.

"He was well mannered, well spoken, very gentlemanly," Almeja said. "I had no suspicions."

Three other neighbors, who declined to give their names, told a different story.

The neighbors said that, from the parking lot across the street, they had noticed Reyes would let young girls into the church at odd hours when no one else appeared to be there.

One man, who would not give his name, said he knew the girl who gave birth and was astounded to learn that she had been pregnant. He said she hid the pregnancy by wearing baggy sweat shirts and pants.

Police asked that anyone with information about the incident or other possible victims call Det. Cheryl Gogins of the juvenile investigative division at 860-527-7300, Ext. 5645.

Contact Carolyn Moreau at cmoreau@courant.com.

Well Mr President, Mr Hernandez and the Senate...more of your honest and hard working Latino brothers and sisters who are here willling to do God's work.