Adults did nothing after child accused pastor of molesting her, Nevada police say
A pastor is accused of molesting a child during a summer boating trip while several adults later learned of the alleged molestation and did nothing about it, Nevada police said.
Isaac Luna-Valencia, 48, was arrested on Dec. 14 and is facing charges of sexually motivated first-degree kidnapping of a minor and two counts of lewdness with a child less than 14, according to an arrest report from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
The girl told police she was twice molested by Luna-Valencia during a boating trip in June 2021 on Lake Mead, which police later learned was Lake Mohave, police said. The girl said he molested her after luring her behind a boat and later when they were alone on the boat.
The girl told her guardian about the incident in September, a little over a year later, police said. The guardian, however, said she did not believe the girl, as she was “known to make things up for attention,” according to the arrest report.
While in a meeting with other adults about the allegations, the guardian said she decided the truth would come into the “light” and prayed for a “sign from God” to make her believe the girl, according to the arrest report.
The girl told another adult about the molestation on Dec. 2, who went on to tell her boyfriend, a relative of the guardian, police said. The man insisted they should tell police about the incident.
The man confronted the adults who had known about the alleged molestation since September, police said. The man said they blamed the girl for not “‘pulling out her phone’ to record Pastor Isaac abusing her,” according to police.
Frustrated by their approach, the man began to research what to do, according to police. He eventually reached out to a private polygraph testing company and scheduled a test for the girl.
After the test showed no signs the girl was lying, the man insisted Luna-Valencia take a polygraph test, but he refused, according to police.
The man ultimately contacted Child Protective Services who directed him to police, the arrest report said.
CPS reported the incident to police on Dec. 5, according to the arrest report.
Luna-Valencia is being held on $25,000 bail and due in court on Feb. 28, according to online jail records.
This story was originally published December 23, 2022 at 1:43 PM with the headline "Adults did nothing after child accused pastor of molesting her, Nevada police say."
