Former church worker to face trial on alleged lewd proposal to 14-year-old girl
BY JARREL WADE World Staff Writer
Friday, November 30, 2012
11/30/12 at 7:03 AM
A Tulsa judge ordered former Victory Christian Center employee Israel Shalom Castillo bound over for trial Thursday on a charge of making a lewd or indecent proposal to a child but dismissed a charge of using a computer to facilitate a sex crime.
Special Judge Clifford Smith ordered the count dismissed based on a defense motion arguing that both counts relied on the same evidence.
The lewd or indecent proposal charge involves a 14-year-old girl Castillo met through the church. Castillo, 23, has pleaded not guilty.
Additional "young women" are expected to testify at Castillo's trial, Tulsa County Assistant District Attorney Sarah McAmis said, but she declined to identify the witnesses as potential victims or say how many additional witnesses she plans to have testify.
"It's not appropriate (to say) at this time," McAmis said.
Castillo's preliminary hearing was postponed last month after prosecutors said they were investigating a possible second victim in his case.
Thursday's hearing went into a closed session as the 14-year-old girl was called in to testify, prosecutors said.
McAmis said the victim's testimony was about her relationship with Castillo, whom she has known at least two years.
After the girl's testimony, the hearing reopened to the public for a second prosecution witness - Tulsa Police Detective Darren Carlock, who investigated the case.
Carlock's testimony focused on conversations he had with Castillo during the investigation.
He testified that Castillo told him about his meeting with former Victory Christian Center Human Resources Director Harold Frank Sullivan and Facilities Director Steve Worley, who reportedly fired Castillo based on an internal investigation days before police were notified.
"I believe they (Sullivan and Worley) told him law enforcement would probably be involved, but at the same time, they told him it would be best to return to his family" in Texas, Carlock said. "It sounded like that was the best offer they gave him."
Castillo and Chris Denman, both Victory Christian Center members who worked as janitors for the church, were charged in September with separate child-sex crimes. The church has said Denman, 20, also worked this summer as an intern at the church's youth camp, Camp Victory.
Denman pleaded guilty Oct. 29 to six felony sex crimes against children, including the rape of a 13-year-old girl. The charges also involve two other girls, ages 15 and 12.
He has been jailed since Sept. 5 on charges of first-degree rape of a child, forcible oral sodomy of a child, lewd molestation, lewd proposal to a child and two counts of using a computer to facilitate a sex crime, court records show. Denman is awaiting sentencing and has no plea deal with prosecutors, records indicate.
Five Victory Christian staff members, including John and Charica Daugherty, a son and daughter-in-law of Senior Pastor Sharon Daugherty, have pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of failing to report child abuse
The other three are Sullivan and youth pastors Anna George and Paul Willemstein.
Worley and Sharon Daugherty are not charged with any crime.
Castillo's arraignment in Tulsa County District Court is scheduled for Dec. 10.
If found guilty, Castillo faces three to 20 years in jail, McAmis said.
Original Print Headline: Victory ex-worker ordered to face trial
Jarrel Wade 918-581-8367
jarrel.wade@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Israel Castillo (left) leaves a Tulsa County courtroom with his attorney, Hugh Hood, after his preliminary hearing Thursday. Castillo will face trial on a charge of making a lewd or indecent proposal to a child - a 14-year-old girl - but another charge was dismissed. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World
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