A 51-year-old former pastor from Phoenix, Arizona pleaded guilty to molestation of a child, sex abuse, and three counts of attempted molestation of a child. He is facing 13 years in prison and lifetime probation for sexually abusing several underage girls and impregnating one who was just 13 or 14 years old. Jose Vicente Morales knew some of his underage victims from church. Local reports read:

“According to court documents, the investigation started when a 17-year-old girl told her mother she was harming herself because of the sexual abuse by Morales when she was 12-year-old.

Another victim said she was sexually abused from when she was 7 years old to when she was 12 years old. Court documents said she recalled being molested by Morales when she was sleeping over at his house and then another time while she was swimming in his pool.

Court documents said Morales was also accused of impregnating a girl when she was 13 or 14 years old. He reportedly met her when she was 8 years old and got “married” when she was 10 years old.

Another victim said she was 10 or 11 years old when she was abused.

An 18-year-old victim said Morales lured her to his house and touched her inappropriately. Court documents said in another incident, Morales went to the victim’s house and sexually assaulted her.”

Morales will get credit for the two years he has served since being arrested in 2016. He was arrested in September of 2016 while a pastor at Iglesia Cristiana Impacto de Fe near 43rd Avenue and Bethany Home Road. Morales admitted to the sexual relationship with the 18-year-old girl but he denied everything else. He also claims the girl he married was 15 years old, not 10. Somebody might think 13 years is a mild punishment for abusing kids and it really is not a sufficient punishment for what this pastor did to all these girls. Marrying a 15-year-old girl instead of 10-year-old one doesn’t make all this more acceptable.

Photo Credits: Pixabay