Principal arrested for molesting and exposing himself to student in Citrus County
By:
Valerie Boey, Beverly Hills, Florida -- According to deputies, former principal Derek Vanderheyden is accused of molesting and exposing himself to one of his students.
Citrus County sheriff's spokesperson Gail Tierney says it happened on several occasions, “She's a 15-year-old girl and he's a 38-year-old man and given the relationship between school and students this obviously is a criminal offense.”
Tierney says the incidents happened over several months off the property of St. Paul's Lutheran Church and School, “Our victim did spend time at his home and one of the incidents happened on the way home from the airport when he had picked her up to come back here to Citrus County.”
According to deputies the victim now lives in Wisconsin. She told authorities there what happened. Vanderheyden then resigned from the school on November 3rd and turned himself into authorities on the 8th.
Tierney says, Vanderheyden confirmed what the victim told them.
He's been principal for the last 5-years, “He was certainly close to and involved with children for the years he spent at that school and so the concern is that there may be additional victims.”
Pastor Mark Gabb released a written statement, “We at St. Paul's Lutheran Church and School are currently working with law enforcement to investigate allegations against our former staff member Mr. Derek Vanderheyden."
The school has around 55 children in pre-k through eighth grade, ”As pastor at St. Paul's I continue to pray for everyone involved in this matter and make myself available to our church and school families in whatever way I can.”
The pastor says this is a matter that needs to be resolved in court. Derek Vanderheyden bonded out of jail. We tried contacting Vanderheyden, but he didn't return our call.
Five incidents are listed in this report.
Registered.
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GJ - WELS likes to say, "Isn't it awful what the Roman Catholic Church has done? Those priests? Tch. Tch."
ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Another WELS Church Worker Arrest
