MESQUITE, Texas (AP) — A North Texas pastor has been arrested for failing to immediately report an assistant youth pastor accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl.
The Mesquite Police Department said that Robert Ross, the lead pastor of Open Door Baptist Church, was charged Tuesday with a misdemeanor for failing to promptly report Steven Winn after learning of the sexual assault. The victim had been a student at the church’s school in Mesquite, a Dallas County city of more 140,000 located 15 miles east of Dallas.
Police said an investigation revealed that 33-year-old Winn had an ongoing sexual relationship with the teenage girl for over 14 months. Winn is charged with sexual assault of a child.
Police said Ross discovered Winn was sexually assaulting the victim on February 1, but failed to report him to a law enforcement agency.