A Racine pastor accused of child sexual abuse was unable to appear in court Wednesday. His preliminary hearing is now scheduled for February 28th.
An attorney for 37-year-old Bernabe Leon-Alvarez wouldn't go on the record about why his client couldn't attend the hearing. But, he agreed to increase the cash bond for his client to $10,100.
Prosecutors allege the abuse carried out by Leon-Alvarez went on for years.
The charges against Leon-Alvarez include sexual exploitation by a therapist, repeated sexual assault of the same child and enticement. He's accused of using his position as a pastor to infiltrate the trust of a family to take advantage of at least two victims.
"Right now, Mr. Alvarez is presumed innocent," said defense attorney Juan Ramirez. "We are continuing to fight that. These are just allegations at this point. Yes, the state has filed them, but as it stands right now he is presumed innocent."
The alleged abuse started in 2020 when a 14-year-old victim told police Leon-Alvarez abused her at an out of town church event. That victim says things escalated from touching to inappropriate massages. She told investigators, "she felt like she just could not tell anyone what he was doing."
A family friend heard of the abuse and went to the authorities as well. Both reports helped lead to Leon-Alvarez's arrest.
An advocate for survivors of clergy abuse say getting charges filed is not necessarily the norm in cases like this.
"It's the exception that this man this minister has been arrested. That's the exception," says Peter Isely, a survivor of sexual abuse who works with Nate's Mission. "I'm very proud of her and proud of these survivors, that they are taking on this ethical responsibility."
Leon-Alvarez's attorney would not share the name of the church his client worked at. His preliminary hearing is now scheduled for 9:00AM Wednesday.
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