Montclair (USA): A married pastor of an Orange County church accused of having sex with a minor from Montclair was hit with additional charges Friday after he again disobeyed a court order to stay away from the teen.
Ronald Hernandez Tovar, 57, of Placentia was charged with two counts of disobeying a court protective order and his bail has been increased from $150,000 to $750,000.
Prosecutors with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office originally charged Tovar with three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, oral copulation of a minor, and sexual penetration with a foreign object of a minor.
Prosecutors say the acts between Tovar and the 16-year-old occurred between Aug. 1, 2006, and Dec. 31 at different locations including his church office at the Shadow of the Almighty Church in Stanton.
Tovar was out on $100,000 bail when he violated the protective order the first time, authorities said.
A friend of the teen’s mother saw the pastor and the teen at a bus stop in late July.
He was rearrested and his was bail increased to $150,000, authorities said.
On Tuesday, Tovar met the teen, now 17, in a church parking lot in San Bernardino County after his preliminary hearing, authorities said.
Anaheim police suspected he would try to meet the teen and followed him. Police arrested Tovar after they followed the pair to the teen’s house in Montclair.
That second violation of the protective order resulted in Tovar’s bail being increased from $150,000 to $750,000.
"The concern with this type of case is that there are other victims," said Farrah Emami, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. "He poses a significant safety risk based on the pastor’s position of trust and that he already victimized one 16-year-old."
Emami was not sure how Tovar kept in contact with the teen.
Tovar is scheduled for trial Dec.24 at 8:30 a.m. in Department N-13 at the North Justice Center in Fullerton.
He faces a maximum of five years and eight months in prison if convicted, authorities said.
Source: dailybulletin.com
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