John C. Sapp Jr., the 34-year-old lead pastor at Maranatha Fellowship church, has been indicted on 89 charges after he allegedly had sexual relationships with two teenage girls who were members of a church youth group.
Sapp Jr. had been leading the youth group for the past three years. most of the sexual encounters took place in the church and church youth group outings.
According to court documents, Sapp was at his house with his wife when he confessed to “inappropriately touching” a girl.
Maranatha Fellowship did not immediately respond to questions about the case.
Delaware State Police investigators questioned the girl Sapp had confessed to inappropriately touching and she told them she had a “secret relationship” that started in 2017, when she was 15.
The two would perform sexual acts a few times a month for about two years, usually inside Sapp’s truck, also inside his house, and on church premises. In some instances, the sexual abuse took place on a youth group camping trip.
The second girl also told investigators that she and Sapp started a “secret sexual relationship” in 2019, when she was 16.
According to court documents, similar to the other relationship, Sapp and the girl had their sexual encounters a few times a month, in the man’s house, in his truck, and at times in the parking lot of Delaware Technical Community College’s Dover Campus.
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