When facing serious allegations, having a trusted Houston criminal defense attorney on your side can make all the difference. These cases not only impact the accused but also their families, careers, and reputations. The recent arrest of a North Texas pastor underscores the complex and high-stakes nature of such charges.
It’s crucial for anyone in this situation to understand their rights if arrested. Knowing your rights can help protect yourself from potential legal pitfalls.
Let’s explore the details of this case and the legal challenges it presents.
An associate pastor at a church in North Texas has been arrested and charged with the sex crimes of possessing child pornography and invasive visual recording.
According to a report in the Houston Chronicle, Grapevine Police arrested Arturo Alarcon, 38, on December 6, 2024. Alarcon had worked at 121 Community Church in Grapevine, northwest of Dallas.
Alarcon also had been employed as a substitute teacher in the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District, notably at Timberline Elementary. According to CBS News Texas, he also volunteered at an after-school program at the Grapevine Community Outreach Center.
Grapevine Police said their investigation began when a missionary couple found spy cameras hidden inside a church-owned mobile home. The cameras were designed to look like household items, such as a bug zapper and a clock, and they believe Alarcon had hidden them.
During their investigation, police said they also found an image of child pornography had been downloaded onto the man’s cell phone. Police said the image did not come from the hidden cameras.
Grapevine Police said they do not have evidence of any additional crimes at this time, but they are analyzing several electronic devices that were in Alarcon’s possession. Their investigation continues.
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The 121 Community Church said in a statement that it had immediately contacted police upon learning of the hidden spy cameras.
The church added that it had placed Alarcon on administrative leave once police made him a person of interest. Then, after learning of the alleged pornography and his arrest, the church said it had terminated Alarcon as an associate pastor.
“It is with great sadness that we must inform you that Arturo Alarcon was arrested on charges of possessing child pornography and invasive visual recording,” the church’s statement said. “Mr. Alarcon previously served as a staff minister, and we terminated his employment with the church.”
The church also removed Alarcon’s bio from its website.
The church said it has received no indication that any local children were involved with the alleged conduct.
As for the school district, it told parents in an email that it had terminated Alarcon’s status as a substitute teacher when it was informed of his arrest.
Grapevine Police were already familiar with Alarcon, but in a positive way. Grapevine PD recognized him for his community service at least twice, including in 2023 when it gave him a Latino Service Award, calling him a “beacon of servant leadership.”
Several Other North Texas church leaders also face scandals
As the Chronicle reported, Alarcon’s arrest is the latest in a series of scandals involving pastors, ministers and other church leaders in North Texas who have resigned or faced harsh legal consequences for what they have called “moral failures” and transgressions.
As various news sources have reported, such incidents have included these cases:
- Terren Dames, former senior pastor of North Dallas Community Bible Fellowship, was arrested and charged for alleged solicitation of prostitution on May 2.
- Tony Evans stepped down on June 9 from his long-held post at the 10,000-member Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas due to an unnamed “sin” on June 9.
- Executive pastor Mike Buster of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano abruptly retired on June 16 after 35 years of serving the megachurch, which has 45,000 members, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and other conservative politicians. The church has denied rumors that suggest Buster participated in financial wrongdoing.
- Robert Morris, 62, founding pastor of Gateway Church in the Dallas suburb of Southlake, resigned on June 18 after being accused of sexually assaulting a preteen girl in the 1980s.
- Lakeside Baptist Church in Granbury fired Luke Cunningham in June after learning that he was accused of sexually assaulting a minor at a church where he had previously served.
- In July, Stonebriar Community Church announced associate pastor Tony Cammarota’s resignation due to a “moral failure.”
- Ronald Goines, the former lead pastor at Koinonia Christian Church in Arlington, reportedly turned himself in to authorities on July 25 after police there issued two warrants for his arrest for indecent assault and sexual assault.
- Cross Timbers Church in Argyle announced on July 28 that Josiah Anthony had resigned as lead pastor due to “inappropriate and hurtful” actions toward members.
- Cross Timbers Church executive pastor Byron Copeland, along with founding pastors Brian Hackney and his wife, Jamie, resigned in August for unspecified reasons.
- The nondenominational Lake Country Church fired senior pastor Scott Crenshaw in September for allegedly “looking at inappropriate material” online.
- Steven Lawson, 73, pastor of Trinity Bible in Dallas, was fired from the megachurch on September 19 after he self-reported “an inappropriate relationship” with a woman.
- Craig Stone, a church youth director at Willowwood Church of the Nazarene in Denton, was arrested on September 25 and faces charges of possession of child pornography and indecency with a child by contact.
- Marvin Scales, a former youth pastor at an unnamed church in Waxahachie, was sentenced to 50 years in prison without the chance of parole after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting four minors.
Get an experienced sex crime defense lawyer
If you or a family member in the Houston area face an allegation, claim or charge of a sexual offense, you must get an experienced sex crime defense lawyer to stand up for your legal rights. Otherwise, you may risk facing severe punishments, including years in prison, high fines or both.
Not every investigation is correct, and not every charge is warranted. Yet in this era of the #MeToo movement, which encourages women to come forward with assertions of sex crimes, even false claims about sexual misconduct can have ruinous implications for those who are accused. They can lose jobs, careers, reputations and standing in the community without ever having had their day in court to prove their innocence.
You must engage a skilled and knowledgeable sex crime defense attorney to evaluate the evidence and work to defend your legal rights. This may mean negotiating with prosecutors to get a charge reduced or even dropped. And if the case goes to trial, your defense lawyer can fight to establish your innocence.
Contact the award-winning Neal Davis Law Firm in Houston to schedule a confidential consultation for your case. We proudly serve clients in Galveston County, Harris County, and across all of Texas. Reach out today to discuss how we can assist you.
