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Ex-Nipomo pastor arrested for child molestation

March 29, 2023

Jeffrey Gene York

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputies on Monday arrested a former Nipomo pastor for child molestation that allegedly occurred years ago over an extended period of time.

Last September, sheriff’s detectives received a report about child molestation that allegedly occurred between 2005 and 2008. Detectives investigated the case for several months and determined that Jeffrey Gene York, 53, sexually assaulted a male for years while serving as a youth pastor at New Beginnings Community Church in Nipomo, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for York, who was believed to be living in Portland. On Monday, while detectives were attempting to apprehend York in Oregon, SLO County deputies located a vehicle registered to York out of Portland while they were on patrol in Arroyo Grande.

The vehicle was parked in the 600 block of El Camino Real. The patrol deputies advised detectives that York was in Arroyo Grande, and authorities took him into custody. 

Deputies booked York in San Luis Obispo County Jail on two counts of oral copulation by duress, two counts of lewd acts with a child under 14 with force and a variety of other charges. York currently remains in custody with his bail set at $400,000.

Investigators request that anyone who has additional information about the case or about other potential victims contact the Sheriff’s Detective Division at (805) 781-4500.


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He doesn’t appear to be very remorseful in that photo now, does he?


14

Why should he care? He is part of the church. He can just claim that god has spoken to him and changed his heart, and all is good again. I mean it works for Donald Trump. Idiots still support him despite him continuing tio violate all 7 of the “deadly sins”. The “moral majority” is steeped in hipocrisy. Jesus would be appalled at his “followers”,


-18

Really glad that one party is out there trying to ban drag shows instead of focusing on banning institutions that have historically been riffed with child abuse.


-26

Interestingly and fortunately, the First Amendment protects both faith-based institutions and so-called adult drag cabaret shows. You fail to see the distinction between usurping a fundamental inalienable natural right and the Judicial System investigating & thwarting criminal activity. So, in terms of your desired priority for “focusing on banning institutions”, the first fundamental right doesn’t need to be abridged in order to pursue the latter worthy goal.


6

I just wish that one party would focus more attention on where actual abuse of children are having, like conservative religious institutions, and not on performance art. Maybe hold a congressional hearing on why people who seem to espouse religious virtues are using their institutions to brutalize children.


Investigating religious institutions for crimes does not violent the constitution. Banning drag shows (probably) does. We’ll see how the courts decide.


-1

I’m definitely not an expert on this subject, so I did a bit of research. Your premise that “actual abuse of children” is primarily occurring in conservative religious institutions which are used “to brutalize children” is not supported by the facts. My sources are: the Federal Administration for Children & Families (in the Dept. of Health and Human Services), the National Childrens Alliance.org, and statista.com. I was searching for statistics on child abuse crimes. The vast majority of child abuse and maltreatment is sadly perpetuated by parents, relatives, close persons known to a parent (such as a boyfriend/girlfriend) and other older children. Religious institutions were not even mentioned in any of the statistics I reviewed. A minor category classified as “Other Professional” was listed. Presumably this included people such as teachers, day care providers, coaches, priests and pastors, medical professionals, etc. Other sources vary, but in general the nationwide data on various types of child abuse and maltreatment indicates the majority of abuse relates to neglect (75%) and physical abuse (12%). Sexual abuse accounts for 7% and again the significant majority of perpetrators tend to be parents, relatives, siblings.


The Administration for Children and Families complies data each year from all 50 states’ Child Protective Services agencies into NCANDS, the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. You can delve into those statistics to look for your “conservative religious institutions”. I have no doubt sexual abuse of children does, unfortunately, occur in religious institutions as well as other institutions. It is imperative that all organizations protect children under their care. One statistic I ran across from the United Kingdom reported that between 2015 and 2020 of all the institutions where sexual abuse occurred, 11% were religious organizations. That means 89% were secular institutions. Sexual abuse of children is not predominantly a faith-based organization phenomenon.


4

All the downvotes are telling of where we are right now politically. How many children were abused at drag shows this year? How many were abused by leadership in churches? Where is the real threat? And meanwhile, Utah has failed to do anything about their now imminent ecological disaster of a dried Great Salt Lake, and they have spent their entire session attacking trans youth. Well done, idiots.


2

Keep the drag show stuff for adults and there is no problem.


20

Maybe we should keep the church stuff for adults only, if you’re really concerned about the children. That seems to be where all of the sexual assaults are coming from.


-19

Then you ought to ban schools then too, right?


6

Far more children have been sexually abused by the Catholic church, many in Catholic schools, than the totality of the US public education system.


By I know your side wants to ban public education altogether, preferring a mix of religious education or homeschooling.


2

Ahhh yes, environmental activism. Same need for moral superiority and guilt but without evoking the name of a God or deity. Yes, bad Utah. For paying more attention to one religion and not yours.


-1