NewsWest 9
ODESSA - Church members made an outcry on Wednesday about "inappropriate behavior" at Odessa Christian Faith Center, prompting police to investigate one of their youth pastors.
A longtime Faith Center member, who requested to remain anonymous, told NewsWest 9 the pastor was guilty of "misconduct" involving underage twin sisters.
As of Thursday night, he had not been arrested or charged with any crime, according to Odessa Police spokesman Steve LeSueur.
"It's currently being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Division," he said. "At this time there is no criminal offense because they're trying to determine if criminal elements are even being met. We're still in the investigation stage of this right now."
The pastor's name was not made available by police. Church members said he "is married and has worked at [Odessa Christian Faith Center] for ten years."
Church representatives did not return calls for comment.
Officials could not confirm if the misconduct allegations involved any type of physical relationship.
A member of the church told NewsWest 9 he had proof the youth pastor was sending "inappropriate messages" to the twins. LeSueur could not reveal what type of evidence police had gathered in their ongoing investigation.
However, he did not rule out the possibility of additional victims.
"If there are any other [Odessa Christian Faith Center members] out there [who] feel they have been a victim of misconduct, then they definitely do need to contact police immediately," he said. "Especially if there's some kind of criminal offense that has occurred, you can't investigate it yourself. You have to report it to police."
