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A Mission pastor was arrested last week after multiple women came forward and accused him of touching them inappropriately during church service.
Jail records show that Gerardo Paolo Gonzalez, 50, was arrested was arrested Sept. 9 on four charges of indecent assault and two charges of sexual assault. His arrest was first reported by CBS4 and KVEO via ValleyCentral.com.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Gonzalez would hold church services at a hotel ballroom located in the 1900 block of South 10th Street in McAllen.
The first victim stated that she was attending one of Gonzalez’s services on April 2 when he called her up to the podium for a one-on-one prayer.
Gonzalez is accused of placing one hand on her neck and the other was holding her hands down in front of her body.
“Pastor Gonzalez grabbed her right hand and pulled it towards his genital area,” the complaint said.
She added that Gonzalez was standing close enough to her where their bodies were touching and she began to feel something touch her genital area.
The victim said she could feel Gonzalez pulling her body into his, causing her to feel uncomfortable.
The other women who filed charges against Gonzalez stated that the encounters with him occurred in August.
One woman with the pseudonym Wendy said that on Aug. 9, Gonzalez had called her for a one-on-one prayer and grabbed her hands to move them down toward his genitals.
When she pulled away, Wendy said she heard the footsteps of Gonzalez’s wife, Adriana Gonzalez, approaching them, which is when she said Gonzalez ended their session without finishing the prayer.
On the same day, another woman with the pseudonym Jennifer stated that Gonzalez placed her in a similar situation where he moved her hands over his genitals and began moving them up and down.
“Jennifer stated she could feel Pastor Gonzalez begin to get an erection,” the complaint said. “After the prayer, Jennifer saw Pastor Gonzalez adjust his pants before walking towards the restroom.”
On Sept. 5, law enforcement obtained a statement from Gonzalez who admitted to moving the podium off to the side and standing very close to the person during their one-on-one prayers as well as placing his hands on the attendees.
He added that his wife is always present by his side during the one-on-one prayers and will place her hand between their bodies if he is praying for a female.
However, during an interview with investigators, Adriana Gonzalez contradicted her husband’s story, stating that she doesn’t place her hand between him and the women he’s praying for, and that she’s not always by his side.
“Mrs. Gonzalez stated she is sometimes distracted by the other remaining attendees and not always watching Pastor Gonzalez directly,” the complaint stated.
Gonzalez remains jailed on $400,000 in bonds.
