A South Florida man who served as a youth pastor at a Broward County church is accused of having sex with a minor after threatening to turn her and her family into immigration authorities, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
Luis Clarke, 38, of Pembroke Pines, was arrested Thursday morning and charged with 25 felony counts, including sexual battery of a minor and false imprisonment, according to court records.
The girl “never reported the sexual acts to her parents and went along with (Clarke’s) request because he threatened to report her and her family’s illegal status” to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, according to court records.
Clarke, who was a part-time youth pastor at the defunct Abrazo tu Sueno Church, in Pembroke Pines, allegedly began the sexual relationship with the victim in March 2016 when she was 16, the Sun-Sentinel reported. The victim told authorities the abuse continued through March 2017, the newspaper reported.
According to Pembroke Pines police, one of the sexual battery incidents at Clarke's residence was witnessed by a 15-year-old boy, WPLG reported. Police said when he learned the boy was present, he turned on his home's alarm system so neither juvenile could leave, the television station reported.
The boy reported the incident to police April 3, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
Clarke gave a sworn statement to authorities after his arrest and admitted to two sexual encounters with the girl, the newspaper reported. He told police the boy had been to his home but denied the minor had been there while he was having sex with the girl, Detective Alkie Lewis-Siminies wrote in a police report.
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