Youth Director Arrested for Sexual Assault

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:21:24 +0000

May 18, 2012—Oconee County, SC—James Garner Smith, 37, was arrested Wednesday evening for criminal sexual conduct with a minor with two charges of lewd acts upon a child. He is alleged to have sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl, one of the juveniles at Ebenezer Baptist Church in West Union where Mr. Smith worked.

According to Captain Travis Tilson of the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, the alleged acts of assault lasted a total of 9 months, starting January 2011, lasting through June 2011, and then continuing again 3 months prior to the arrest. The investigation began after church pastor Brad Kelley reported his suspicions of the sexual abuse to authorities. As of right now, the investigation is ongoing, even though there are no other alleged victims.

Mr. Smith was held at the Oconee County detention center and later released on a surety bond of $90,000. Following the arrest, Mr. Smith has been placed on a leave of absence from Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Anyone with more information relating to this case is being asked to contact the Criminal Investigations Division of the Sheriff’s Office at 864-638-4111.

Sexual abuse is one of the most worrisome issues plaguing churches all over the world. Doing everything within a ministry’s power to prevent such acts of crime is a legal obligation. The first step to weeding out people who are predisposed to sexual assault is to educate one’s self about a person’s criminal background history. Pre-employment screening can help uncover an applicant’s personality, giving a church a more accurate picture of what to expect.

But don’t stop there.

One grossly overlooked process is continuing to conduct church-wide background checks on current employees and volunteers. While an employee may not have committed an act of crime before being hired, it does not mean that he/she is not capable of such exploits in the future. It’s important to keep an active watch on all personnel as many of those who commit crimes in the church are often the last people one would suspect of illicit activity. It’s especially important to continually screen those who interact with children and/or church finances.

Thankfully there are programs specifically made for ministries that are affordable and reliable. One of True Hire’s subdivisions, Background Checks for Churches, offers a new service called WatchGuard. We can set a schedule to match your needs, so your employees and volunteers are continually screened for criminal conducts. We do all of the work and then deliver your easy-to-read, accurate results electronically or via fax or mail.

Don’t let your ministry and its children fall victim to sexual abuse. Protect yourself to the best of your ability. Get a free quote today from True Hire, and find out how easy and affordable it is to keep your church a safer place.

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Child Abuse Reporting Laws

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:41:02 +0000

Knowing the law is arguably one of the most important responsibilities of running any organization, especially when it comes to the safety of children. Many churches have been caught off guard by controversial issues such as suspected cases of child abuse that weren’t reported properly. Don’t let your church fall victim to ignorance. Educate yourself and your staff at every opportunity.

Luckily for those who need a starting push in the right direction, on May 2, 2012, church law expert Richard Hammar is hosting a free webinar that is focused on child abuse reporting laws. Using Penn State as an example, you’ll learn how to recognize abuse, requirements of reporting suspected cases, mandatory reporting laws for each state, and the civil and criminal liabilities of failing to properly report abuse.

Also, keep yourself compliant with all state and federal laws with True Hire Background Check’s Compliance Shield. When it comes to children, no amount of caution is too great. We make it easy and affordable for you to keep your church, staff and children safer with thorough background investigations. We’ll report only the information you can legally use, no matter where you live in the US, so you know you’re covered.

View True Hire’s packages and prices.

Or save time and get started now by filling out our form.

Pastors Using Church Credit Cards for Personal Purchases

admin — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:29:31 +0000

Apparently it’s something many pastors do; they use their church’s credit card as their own, making personal purchases and paying off the balance every month. Many may think this isn’t a concerning issue if the card is paid off, but there are many legal ramifications for partaking in this seemingly harmless practice. The church can lose its tax-exempt status, incur penalty taxes of 225% the normal rate, and it leaves itself open to embezzlement. Even if fraud is never intended, the IRS may still be led to believe a crime has been committed by looking at the misleading paper trail left behind by these personal transactions.

Learn more about the consequences of racking up personal purchases on a church’s credit card here.

Responding to children and young people’s disclosures of abuse

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:48:28 +0000

The Australian Institute of Family Studies has published a helpful paper which discusses the topic of children and young people’s disclosures of abuse called Responding to children and young people’s disclosures of abuse by Cathryn Hunter.

It outlines what the AIFS knows through research and practice about how, why, what and when children and young people are likely to disclose. It offers suggestions for parents, family members, friends, professionals or others to help respond to children and young people at the time of disclosure and in the longer term. Most research into children and young people’s disclosures has focused on disclosures of child sexual abuse, however, many of the issues canvassed are also likely to be relevant to disclosures of other types of abuse (i.e., physical, psychological and emotional abuse). The information in this paper is drawn from a range of sources developed through both research and practice.

Download printable version Responding to children and young people’s disclosures of abuse (PDF 455 KB)

Church Background Checks and The Holiday Season

admin — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:53:16 +0000

As the Holiday Season approaches, most Ministries will have a flurry of activities. Offerings will be at an annual high as attendance goes up. Volunteers will be utilized more as various holiday activities are planned. Once again, I must stress background checks as a means to protect your church finances. Of course, background checks are a must to keep our youth and senior populations safe. However, many churches forget they need to safeguard their finances from embezzlement as well.

We have seen an uptick in theft from ministries in the past several years. Remember to do a thorough background check on everyone involved in handling your church finances.

How does or will your church deal with a sex offender?

admin — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 16:17:47 +0000

Here at True Hire we focus on background checks and keeping your congregation safe. Does your church have a policy on Sex Offenders? Will you let a sex offender in your church? Do you have young children attending your church? What policy should you choose? True Hire offers a Sex Offender search as part of our basic background check program starting at $9.99 per person. We will uncover any sex offenses and the conditions of that crime. Recently I came across a good article that talks about the consequences of allowing a sex offender entrance to your church. Please read more at http://www.churchlawandtax.com/private/library/viewarticle.php?aid=81 this article is written by Richard R. Hammar.