Former Texas pastor accused of aggravated sexual assault of woman with disabilities

LAREDO, Texas — A former pastor in Laredo, Texas, has been charged with aggravated sexual assault of a woman with disabilities, stemming from a Feb. 1 attack.

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Officials with the Webb County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as 58-year-old Jorge Ariel Benavides, who stated in arrest documents that he led the Iglesia Christiana Casa de Dios congregation until the contract on the building he was renting expired, KGNS-TV reported.

According to the Laredo Morning Times, Benavides was served with an arrest warrant on Sept. 12 charging him with aggravated sexual assault of a special needs person. He was released on bond three days later.

The victim, who reported the assault on March 2, told investigators that Benavides picked her up at about 9 p.m. Feb. 1 on the pretense of taking her to Las Lomas, where she believed he was going to pay her money he owed her and show her paperwork regarding his plans to adopt her, court documents stated.

According to the arrest affidavit, Benavides told the victim upon arrival that they were going to “chill,” removed his clothes and asked her to do the same in an adjacent room. The woman stated she complied out of fear and that he then assaulted her, the Morning Times reported.

“When asked what suspect Benavides had done to cause her such fear, (the woman) stated she had been advised by suspect Benavides multiple times that she would be placed in a mental institution with the state because she is a consumer and no one would believe that a priest had raped her,” the affidavit stated.

According to court documents, Benavides stated that his late wife had been the woman’s foster mother and caregiver, explaining that the trio had lived together. He denied the sexual assault allegations, the Morning Times reported.

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