How Could You? Hall of Shame-Pastor James M. Burton

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Fort Wayne, Indiana, 50-year-old foster parent, Pastor James M. Burton was ” arrested on charges of repeatedly molesting a foster child in his care”  back in 2012.

He “was booked into the Allen County Jail on four counts of felony child molesting on Wednesday. Burton has been serving as pastor of Greater Faith Baptist Church, according to the church’s Facebook page.”

“Burton is accused of inappropriately touching a girl younger than 14. The alleged crime was reported by the child at her school. The girl told investigators the molestations began when she was six or seven years old.

She and her sister had reportedly been living at Burton’s home for two years, but were recently removed.”

Fort Wayne Pastor Arrested on 4 Charges of Child Molesting[Indiana News Center 12/6/12 by Nina Settappa]

“Jurors have convicted a man of molesting a young girl while he was pastor of a Fort Wayne church.

The Allen County jury reached the guilty verdicts Thursday night against 51-year-old James Burton on two counts of felony child molesting. The Journal Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/NJkk7s ) jurors acquitted Burton of two less-serious molesting charges.

Prosecutors charged Burton molested the now-10-year-old girl while she was a foster child in his care from 2009 until early 2012. He was pastor of Greater Faith Baptist Church when he was arrested last year.

The girl testified she liked living at Brown’s home but that he repeatedly touched her “privates” and told her to take her clothes off.

Burton’s defense attorney argued prosecutors lacked proof and that the girl gave contradictory accounts of what happened”

Man convicted of molesting while Fort Wayne pastor[WANE 2/14/14 by Associated press]

“The 51-year-old former foster parent asked a judge to keep him out of prison for the rest of his life, but with a 40-year prison sentence for child molesting, that is not a likely outcome.

 

In February, an Allen Superior Court jury convicted James M. Burton of two of four counts of child molesting, believing the account of a young girl who said the former pastor of Greater Faith Baptist Church had repeatedly touched her and performed sex acts on her while she lived with him in foster care.

 

The two counts of Class A child molesting – each punishable by 20 to 50 years in prison – were the most serious charges Burton faced. The jurors acquitted Burton of two Class C felony counts of child molesting punishable by up to eight years.

 

The girl, now 10, alleged he touched her sexually as well as performed a sex act on her and had her perform a sex act on him while she was staying in his home as a foster child between June 2009 and January 2012.

 

She eventually disclosed the allegations to the staff at her elementary school, court documents said. Burton was charged in December 2012.

 

The girl was removed from the Burtons’ home that year.

 

During Friday morning’s sentencing hearing, both Burton and those who spoke for him expressed surprise the case had made it this far.

 

“I tried to help people out all my life,” Burton said. “I worked hard for what I achieved.”

 

He said he and his wife opened up their home to the girl and her siblings as an emergency placement, so they could stay together. “Those kids were happy in our home. I’m not a monster as the prosecutor has painted me as. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in prison.”

 

Later in the hearing, an angrier Burton told the court he was depressed and discouraged.

 

“The jury found me guilty on the word of a kid,” he said.

 

The Rev. James Cotton, a pastor from Chicago, said he never had a complaint about Burton when he worked for him at his church before he moved to Fort Wayne.

 

And he suggested the standard for conviction should be “beyond a shadow of a doubt,” comparing Burton’s situation to the Old Testament figure of Joseph who was wrongfully accused and imprisoned, as well as Jesus.

 

Cotton said he hopes it does not take years for someone to come forward to say they had been lying against Burton.

 

But when she sentenced Burton, Allen Superior Court Judge Fran Gull referenced the numbers of adults in the girl’s life who believed her story.

 

“Twelve adults on that jury believed that child,” she said, then referenced the number of letters she received from caseworkers and others in support of the girl. “All the adults in her life believe that child.”

 

“This was a broken child who came to you and became even more broken,” Gull told Burton. “She loved you … What would a child have to gain by saying this?”

 

Gull sentenced Burton to 40 years on each charge but ordered the sentences to be served at the same time. Under Indiana law, the sentence for child molesting and certain other crimes does not award the same type of credit for good behavior as other felonies.

 

That means Burton will serve the majority of his prison sentence before he is eligible for parole.”

40 years for ex-pastor convicted of molesting[The Journal Gazette 3/15/14 by Rebecca S. Green]

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