How Could You? Hall of Shame -Eric Caverly UPDATED
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 Colorado Springs, Colorado, adoptive father of three Eric Caverly, 37, was arrested on April 12. He is accused of having sex with an underaged girl “200 to 400 times” according to the affidavit. The charge of Sexual Assault on a Child by One in a Position of Trust is a Class 3 felony.
NewsFirst5 reports that “[a]ccording to court documents, the alleged victim told investigators that she and Caverly began talking at church one day when she was upset. Soon after, they exchanged phone numbers and began texting. The texts began innocently, but at one point Caverly texted that he had a dream about kissing her, according to the affidavit.
Soon after, Caverly and his wife asked the girl to babysit for their three children, according to court documents. The documents show that not long after she began babysitting for the couple, Caverly began engaging in sexual contact with the then-16-year-old. The contact then escalated to oral sex, and eventually sexual intercourse, according to the affidavit.
The sexual relationship continued for most of the next three years, the documents show. The alleged victim would spend nights at the Caverly home, even a week or more at a time. The girl, who is now a 19-year-old woman, told investigators that most of the sexual encounters happened in the basement of Caverly’s home.
The woman told investigators that the relationship with Caverly ended in October 2010 due to fighting between the two and Caverly’s jealousy. The affidavit says she was forced to file a police report after revealing the sexual encounters to her parents and to her therapist.”
“Ross Harrop, Executive Pastor at Springs Community Church, says Caverly and his wife served as lay volunteers at the church from the late 1990s until 2008.”
“Caverly posted a $25,000 bond and is due for advisement of his charges April 20. His first court appearance is scheduled for May 2.”
Springs police ask that anyone with information on any possible incidents of sexual abuse call the Colorado Springs Police at 444-7000. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 634-STOP.
Former volunteer at Springs church youth group arrested
[Denver Post 4/14/11]
Affidavit: church youth leader admits sex with girl from church “200 to 400 times”
[NewsFirst 5 4/13/11 by Zach Thaxton]
Church Volunteer Arrested For Alleged Sexual Assault
[KKTV 4/14/11]
Colorado Springs Police Blotter
[Colorado Springs Police Blotter 4/13/11]
Additional Source: news tip to REFORM Talk
Update: “A former youth pastor for Springs Community Church will go to trial for sexual assault charges. He waived his rights to a preliminary hearing in court Tuesday afternoon [May 31, 2011].
Court documents show Eric Caverly had a sexual relationship with a girl who was 16-years old at the time. He is facing charges of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.
Caverly will also undergo an HIV test before the trial which is scheduled for mid-July.”
Former youth pastor will go to trial on sex assault charges
[News First 5 5/31/11 by Jeannette Haynes]
REFORM Puzzle Piece
Update 2/August 12, 2013
A media search found that Eric pled guilty to “one count of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss five additional counts under a plea agreement approved by 4th Judicial District Judge David S. Prince.”
”
The judge ordered a sex offender evaluation and a pre-sentencing report ahead of Caverly’s Sept. 26 sentencing.
In Colorado, sex assault convictions carry an indeterminate sentence, meaning the state Department of Corrections can hold someone indefinitely if it determines the person is likely to commit a similar crime.
The conviction otherwise carries a sentence of two to six years, said prosecutor Jessica Gysin.
According to an arrest affidavit, Caverly was volunteering at Springs Community Church, 7290 Lexington Drive, when the girl approached him because she was distraught. The pair exchanged phone numbers, and soon the teenager was baby-sitting for Caverly and spending time with him and his wife and three children, authorities said.
Allegations of an affair didn’t surface until the victim was 19. Police said in court documents she realized the relationship wasn’t appropriate.
The Gazette usually doesn’t identify accusers in sex assault cases and is withholding the woman’s name.
Caverly and his wife, Nicole, were lay volunteers who worked with middle school children beginning in the late 1990s, senior pastor Ross Harrop told The Gazette after Caverly’s April arrest. The couple left the church in 2008.
Caverly helped lead at least one church session that counseled youths on the dangers of pornography. He was recommended as a resource on sexual addiction, according to a program that was removed from the church website.
His attorney, Rick Levinson, declined to comment after the court hearing.”
Ex-church volunteer pleads guilty to seducing teenager
[The Gazette 7/11/11 by Lance Bezel]
“After pleading guilty to a sexual relationship with a teenager, a former Colorado Springs volunteer youth pastor was sentenced to probation. The sexual assault began when the girl was 15 years old and lasted three years.
Thirty-seven-year-old Eric Caverly was arrested after a four-month investigation.
Caverly volunteered as a youth pastor at Springs Community Church.
When the allegations came to light in April, the close-knit church community said it was disturbed.
“We’re sad. These circumstances speak for themselves. It’s very troubling for any family,” says Executive Pastor Ross Harrop.
Arrest affidavits say the relationship began back in 2008 when the girl was 16 years old. Court papers show it started with a text message, and progressed into a sexual relationship. Something Executive Pastor Ross Harrop says they train their teens to avoid.
“We call it reducing the risk, and it is something we take very seriously, providing a safe experience for all our ministries.”
The investigation began in December when police were called to a Colorado Springs home on a report of a sexual assault.
According to court papers, the teenager ended the relationship in October of 2010 because of Caverly’s controlling and jealous nature. She eventually told her therapist and parents, and was forced to file a police report.
Caverly has not been a member of Springs Community Church since 2008, but now the entire church community is healing.
“We are a congregation that’s about healing hearts and restoration. So it’s certainly troubling and makes us sad,” says Harrop.
Caverly is expected back in court next Wednesday.
Springs police say Caverly may have sexually abused other victims, and ask that anyone with information on any possible incidents of sexual abuse call the Colorado Springs Police at 444-7000. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 634-STOP.”
Former Pastor Sentenced To Probation In Sex Assault Case
[KKTV 9/27/11]
“Under the plea agreement, Eric Caverly, 37, won’t face prison time, and an additional count alleging that Caverly sexually abused a second girl while serving at Springs Community Church was dismissed.
Caverly must register as a sex offender, and he was banned from using a computer until counselors in a sex treatment program give their approval.
At the time of the assaults, Caverly and his wife, Nicole, were both lay pastors at the church at 7290 Lexington Drive. They declined to comment after the sentencing.
The parents of one victim said their family was nearly “destroyed” by the abuse after their now-adult daughter stepped forward to report Caverly last December.
The girl, who was 15 when the abuse started, struggled with depression so severe that she stopped eating and lost hair, they said. At one point, she received eight staples in her leg after cutting herself in despair.
“This supposed man of God was the source,” the girl’s mother said, charging that Caverly slowly encouraged the girl to push her family and friends away until her “world revolved around” him alone.
The Gazette does not generally identify victims of sexual assault, and the names of their relatives will also be withheld.
The girl’s father, who also served as a lay pastor at Springs Community Church, told 4th Judicial District Judge David S. Prince that Caverly manipulated his daughter by drawing on information the father disclosed at weekly prayer meetings.
While praying with Caverly, the man said he freely shared concerns about his daughter’s depression and recently diagnosed bipolar disorder – privileged details he said Caverly used to earn the girl’s trust and ultimately lure her into a sexual relationship.
The second victim stepped forward six months after Caverly was arrested on suspicion of abusing the 15-year-old. She, too, was a teenager at the time of her alleged assault, and said in court she feared there could be others.
Another former Springs youth pastor, 22-year-old Joshua Amoroso, was sentenced to 60 days in jail and at least 10 years’ probation Sept. 8 after pleading guilty to a similar relationship with a girl from his congregation.”
Ex-lay pastor gets probation for relationship with teen girl
[The Gazette 9/26/11 by Lance Bezel]
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