Trial Begins for Baptist Church Pastor Accused of Child Molestation in Hunlock Twp. Case

The trial for Richard “Rick” Garnett, a 73-year-old man accused of sexually abusing a third victim in the basement of Roaring Brook Baptist Church, began Tuesday. Prosecutors are urging the jury to overlook a key misidentification by the alleged victim, while the defense claims state police arrested the wrong man.

Garnett is charged with molesting the boy in the basement of Roaring Brook Baptist Church at 332 Prichards Road between 2004 and 2006. During opening statements, Deputy Attorney General Mamie Phillips emphasized that the alleged victim has been consistent in describing the abuse, stating that the man in the basement was, in fact, Garnett. She argued that the jury should find him guilty of all charges.

Defense attorney Samuel C. Stretton argued that any coverage of Garnett’s case should be titled “unfairly accused,” highlighting the “delay and mistakes” by state police investigators. He contended that the alleged victim identified the wrong man as his abuser.

Prosecutors stated that the delay in the allegations coming to light was due to the alleged victim’s reluctance to come forward. The case gained attention when the alleged victim, then 18, dropped out of a Maine college in 2017. His mother discovered pamphlets about child abuse in his dorm room, prompting the report.

The alleged victim initially reported that his abuser was the church’s “pastor” without providing a name. Retired state police Cpl. Robert Betnar testified that investigators initially focused on the pastor. After searching for individuals with the same name, they found three matches and set up a photo lineup. It was only later that they realized another man matching the abuser’s description had been present in the church during the relevant time period.

Although Garnett was not the pastor, he was described as a “dead ringer” for the Lancaster County man the alleged victim identified in the photo lineup, Phillips told the jury. The prosecution is confident that the photos will help the jury recognize Garnett as the abuser.

Source: Read the original report