Former Salvation Army Pastor Sentenced in Child Exploitation Case Involving Fountain, Colorado, Youth Group

A Colorado youth pastor who had served with The Salvation Army turned himself in to Fountain police after an investigation into communications between him and a minor in his youth group. Jeffery Williams, 38, was booked at the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center on charges of Unlawful Sexual Communication in a Position of Trust and Obscenity, about a month after the investigation began.

The Fountain Police Department began investigating Williams in October. Officers were called to a location in Fountain on October 13 regarding an alleged sexual assault on a minor. During the investigation, police contacted Williams by phone at a time when he had moved to Arizona.

According to arrest documents cited by Fox 21, Williams told officers that from 2014 to 2015, around seven years earlier, he was in contact with the minor and had allegedly sent sexually explicit pictures and messages. The conversations allegedly included video chats with sexual behavior and an indication that they planned to meet in person. Williams served as a Salvation Army officer from 2013 to 2017, and the alleged incident occurred while he was serving in Fountain, where he had spent four years. Before taking that post, he had completed a two-year church training program in California. Social media posts indicate that he has been married for nearly 20 years and has three children.

The Salvation Army said that after learning of the investigation, it immediately suspended Williams and reported the allegations to the Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline. Major Mike Dickinson, Divisional Commander for the Intermountain Division, said in a statement that the organization had tried to contact the victim to offer assistance and was fully cooperating with authorities.

The organization said it has used an abuse-prevention program called “Protecting the Mission” for 20 years. The program’s stated purpose is to prevent and stop the abuse of vulnerable people through rigid screening requirements, supervision rules and training standards. In its statement, the church said it remained committed to a high standard of abuse reporting and prevention, adding: “We will continue to place the protection of the vulnerable at the center of everything that we do. The work of The Salvation Army to serve people in need continues under new leadership in the communities of Fountain, CO, and in Chandler, AZ, where he was stationed at the time of the arrest.”

Fountain police detectives said they are still seeking the public’s help in locating additional witnesses or victims.

A later update reported that Williams was convicted of two felonies for sexual exploitation of a child. A subsequent update reported that on February 28, 2024, he was sentenced to 14 days in jail and five years of probation.

Source: Read the original report