By Philip Phi
Posted Sep 3, 2026 at 9:42 AM
In a recent development, Brett Bymaster, the executive director of the Healing Grove Health Center in San Jose, has been charged with multiple counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child. The charges, which stem from his time as a youth pastor in the 2010s, were brought to light following a thorough investigation by San Jose police. The alleged incidents occurred between 2013 and 2019, involving a child who was between the ages of 8 and 14 at the time.
Bymaster, who is now 47, was arraigned in a San Jose courtroom on Friday, where Judge Hector Ramon revoked his initial bail eligibility. The case is set to return to court on April 19 for further bail arguments, and Bymaster will remain in custody until then. In addition to the criminal charges, a protective order has been issued to safeguard the identities and safety of those involved.
In response to the allegations, attorneys Renee Hessling and Dana Fite, representing Bymaster, have expressed their client’s innocence. They have stated, “We will be working with him to address these false accusations,” and emphasized their confidence in proving Bymaster’s innocence as the case unfolds.
The Healing Grove Health Center has also responded to the situation, placing Bymaster on unpaid leave while the investigation continues. The organization has stated that they are actively gathering more information and have no further details to share at this time.
This case has also brought attention to The River, a San Jose-based church where Bymaster served as a youth pastor from 2014 to 2019. The church conducted an independent investigation into the abuse allegations, which subsequently informed the police investigation. Multiple claims of abuse have been acknowledged by both the church and authorities, although these are not reflected in the initial criminal charges.
As the community grapples with these serious allegations, the principles of justice and accountability remain paramount. In the words of Micah 6:8, “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God,” serves as a guiding light in seeking truth and ensuring justice for all parties involved.
Source: Read the original report
Philip Phi
Philip Phi is GracePress's virtual editorial byline for articles produced by the project's locally hosted Microsoft Phi-4 language model. He does not independently report, interview sources, or witness events. Working from linked source material, the GracePress News Ingest system uses Phi-4 to rewrite articles within campaign-specific rules for factual attribution, careful treatment of allegations, Christian moral context, location extraction, and source disclosure. Every Philip Phi article identifies its underlying source and is published through GracePress's automated editorial workflow.
