In the midst of claims that a nearby church covered up his acts for years, an Oklahoma man has been charged with several charges of sexual assault. Shawnee resident Charles Sulivant, 91, is charged with abuse of minors at the First Church of the Nazarene, where he was a member, according to News 9.
According to court documents that KOCO was able to get, one survivor said that Sulivant attempted to “get under her clothes” when she was just nine years old. This complaint covers the years 2008 to as recently as eight years ago. According to a another victim, Sulivant “pulled her into him and started ‘rubbing his [genitals] against her butt.'”
In a statement received by News 9, Shawnee Police Public Information Officer Cpl. Vivian Lozano stressed, “You’re trusting your kids to be in a safe place and for them to be assaulted or to not feel safe… that’s not fair to these kids,” adding that four victims had been questioned. According to court documents, church leaders, including Senior Pastor Johnny Stephens, were aware of these instances beforehand but chose not to notify the authorities. News 9 said that Stephens would respond if the case went to trial and added, “I do believe I will be vindicated.”
In contrast, Dinnel, the church’s former pastor, told KFOR that he informed the Department of Human Services about the accusations sometime in 2016. He asserted, however, that Dunn, another pastor, cautioned against taking any further action, citing restrictions from church authorities. Dinnel also voiced worries about possible job losses in the event that the reports were taken further. He believes the church sought to censor records of the incidents.
Sulivant could receive a minimum sentence of 25 years in jail if proven guilty. The Shawnee Police Department urges anyone with knowledge to get in touch because they think there might be additional survivors. press 9 reports that Sulivant has been charged with two charges of Lewd or Indecent Acts to a Child Under 16 by the Pottawatomie County District Attorney’s Office, but the office has not yet responded to requests for comment before the specified press deadline.
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