CBS San Francisco reported that 65-year-old Carlos Ramos Castrejon was arrested amid accusations of sexual abuse while the pastor at Ministerious Generacion Josue located at 16705 Butterfield Blvd, Morgan Hill, CA 95037.
On October 26, 2021, Castrejon was arrested following an investigation involving allegations he had "inappropriate physical contact with multiple children" while the church's pastor. The police investigation reported he is suspected of a minimum of 13 counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14. Additionally, he is being charged with two counts of committing a lewd act by use of force on a child under 14.
Castrejon is being held without bail. Detectives believe there could be more victims and urge any to come forward.
Attorney contributor Jason Amala is an experienced lawyer for sexual abuse in the state of California. He represents victims of sexual abuse at church in civil lawsuits. During a recent interview, Bobby shared his insights on the legal rights of victims of sexual abuse at church.
"It is the legal obligation of a church and its administration to protect its congregation. Unfortunately, sexual predators can exploit victims by gaining positions of trust and power within a church to commit sexual abuse. Many times this abuse could have been prevented by the church with security measures, such as background checks. Failure to maintain preventable abuse can result in the church being held liable in a civil lawsuit."
"Religious organizations and churches should do their best to offer safety to their members as they try to prevent sexual abuse from occurring within the congregation. For example, if the church officials ignored previous sexual misconduct complaints filed against active clergy members, the church can be considered negligent. In cases of neglect like this, the victim of sexual abuse and their families may have the legal right to pursue a civil lawsuit against the church. It is highly recommended that the victims and their families explore all their rights with an experienced lawyer for sexual abuse in the church."