A former youth pastor at Grace Hills Church in Aliso Viejo has been arrested on charges sexually abusing five boys under the age of 15 over a two-year period while he worked at the church.
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Grace Hills Church Youth Pastor Arrested on Sex Abuse Charges
January 2015 — Brandon Ernis Lee McDade, a 30 year-old youth pastor at Grace Hills Church in Aliso Viejo, has been arrested on charges of molesting five boys under the age of 16, including some incidents on church property, OC Weekly reports.
The arrest came soon after investigators learned of his alleged misconduct with multiple children, according to deputies. McDade pleaded not guilty and adamantly denies the charges, his attorney said.
The teenage boys were all members of the church youth group. Investigators fear there may be more victims because McDade’s leadership role gave him access to children for years.
McDade worked at the church from June 2009 to December 2015. He was arrested on December 9, two days after an alleged victim’s parents contacted authorities. He was released after making $20,000 bail, but taken back into custody on $1 million bail after more victims stepped forward during the investigation.
According to spokesman Lt. Jeff Hallock:
“During the course of the investigation, several other victims were contacted, each indicating they had engaged in inappropriate conduct with McDade over a two-year period while he was employed as the youth pastor at Grace Hills Church.”
McDade has been charged with two felony counts of committing lewd acts on a child under 14, and four felony counts of committing lewd acts upon a child between the ages of 14 and 15. He was also charged with two misdemeanor counts of child annoyance. A pre-trial hearing has been set for February 5.
If convicted, he faces up to 30 years to life in state prison and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Anyone with information regarding additional victims is asked to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victim’s Unit at (714) 647-7418 or (714) 647-7000. Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227) or at occrimestoppers.org.
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The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been sexually abused, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Sexual Abuse Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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