A pastor in Alvarado, Tx., who was already accused of indecently assaulting a child in 2000 and 2001, was recently arrested on grounds of sexually abusing a teenager in 2005. The arrest took place on August 15 when 51-year-old Dan Haby, pastor at the Cowboy Way Church, turned himself in at the Tarrant County Jail near Dallas.
The first victim, who is now 29-years-old, told the police that his abuse started when he was only 15-years-old and it took place at Haby’s then home in Fort Worth on Creston Avenue. Reportedly, the abuse took place in Haby’s bedroom while two of his friends, who were also pastors, slept in the living room of the Creston Avenue home.
The affidavit filed by the victim reads, “Dan told the victim that he wasn’t married and he didn’t have a way to relieve stress. He explained that by lying with and holding the victim, this allowed him to release stress, which helped him be a stronger pastor thereby bringing God to more people. He told the victim this was the path and the will that God had for him so Christ could be brought to more people. The victim explained that he was initially alarmed by this, but he soon began believing the things Dan would tell him and he felt it was a sacrifice on his part.”
The second victim, who is now 25-years-old, contacted the police after reports of Haby’s abusing the first victim came to surface following the complainant’s reports. Sergeant James Thomson, who serves as the supervisor for the crimes against children unit, said that the second victim was abused in 2005. Up until his arrest, Haby was posting regularly on the Facebook page for Cowboy Way Church but he refused to answer questions related to his abusing children, often referring them to his attorney.
“We haven’t been made aware of all the facts concerning it [the accusation] yet. We’re going to begin our own investigation, work and we’ll certainly be prepared to defend it at an appropriate time,” said Attorney Mark Daniel, who is now representing Haby.
While other church leaders have refrained from commenting on the allegations, Pastor Randy Free addressed his congregation about the matter via an online sermon on August 3.
“Today our church finds itself in a very unusual place. Our beloved pastor finds himself in the greatest spiritual battle of his life and his ministry and it’s a battle that also affects this church. However there is a silver lining behind this storm cloud ... That is that Dan’s God and our God has never lost a battle. And he's not about to lose this one,” he said.
https://soundcloud.com/cowboy-way-church/randy-free-aug-3-2014
He went on to clarify that the church had asked him not to talk about the case publicly but he insisted on bringing up the matter so nobody judges or condemns Haby for what he had been accused of doing.
“We are going to cast the longest shadows mercy has ever cast toward everyone involved,” Free said.
