Tulsa's Victory Christian Center Questioned How They Handled Sexual Abuse Allegations
We have some really disturbing news about what one church did not do to protect others in their congregation.
Court records have shown that Victory Christian Center in Tulsa waited two weeks before reporting allegations that a man had raped a 13-year-old girl.
Tulsa Police said two employees of Victory Christian Center in Tulsa are accused of having sexual relationships with two underage girls.
Police officers were called but Victory had already interviewed the victims and the suspects. Following the interviews, the church then fired the two men before notifying the girls' parents or police on August 15. Records show they contacted parents and police on August 30.
Oklahoma law states the obvious: Any person who suspects child abuse must report it in a timely manner.
Child Crisis detectives are accusing Victory Christian of not following protocol or policy in this type of situation.
Court records state:
The two Victory Christian adult employees met the two girls at summer camp and stayed in touch with them through Facebook and cell phones, exchanging sexually explicit messages and engaging in sexual relationships, however neither girl is old enough to legally consent, according to a report from NEWS6 in Tulsa.One of the girls told police one of the men who forced her was named Chris Denman. She stated he hit her until she resisted.
Denman was arrested last week and has been charged with four crimes, including rape and child molestation.
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| Pastor Sharon Daugherty, Victory Christian Center |
Police are disappointed that weeks in between the incidents and the reported has affected the case:
"I do think it did have some harm, because we had forensic evidence that was gone by the time we were notified," said Corporal Greg Smith. "There were persons we needed to talk to, who were no longer there and it took time to track them down. There have been some problems with the delay."Smith said he wants everyone to know they have a legal obligation to report suspected child abuse in a timely manner. Specially trained professionals should have handled the interviewing of victims and suspects.
"We can prove our case, but it would've been easier and much more solid a case, had we been involved from the beginning when we could gather all the evidence available then—not what's left over two to three weeks later," Smith said.
One prosecutor told me it's hard to believe an organization the size of Victory Christian wouldn't be aware of the reporting requirements, especially after all the publicity at Penn State recently.
Failing to report suspected child abuse, in Oklahoma law, is a misdemeanor.
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