SPORTS OPINION Fitness Readers speak SAVE UP TO $356 community out on Florida IN COUPONS comes to aid of shooting, NRA, INSIDE man’s family 1C gun control 2B VOLUME 141,No. 56 FACEBOOK.COM/MODESTOBEE NEWSAll DAY. Mostly sunny STAY CONNECTED MODBEE.COM TWITTER.COM/MODBEE YOUR WAY. SUNDAY FEBRUARY 25 2018 $3 61°/40° See2A Churchhid abuse,womaNsays Youth pastor’s actions in ’80s ‘swept under the rug,’ shesays BY GARTH STAPLEY [email protected] The 27-year-old married youth pastor in Modesto con- soled the troubled girl, whose father had just died. Eventually, he kissed her. Then he fondled her. She was 14. 1 Over the next 2 ⁄2 years, Brad Tebbutt sexually abused Jennifer Graves in his office at First Baptist Church, a prominent Mo- desto congrega- tion, and in his Brad car. After school, Tebbutt before his wife returned from work, he would have sex with her in his home, she said. At the end of her junior year at Beyer High School, in 1988, Tebbutt and his wife moved away. Arecent publication boasts of his 30-year career as a youth pastor, and he now works in aseniors ministry for the International House of Prayer of Kansas City. PETER HALEY [email protected] How Tebbutt kept his jobs at Jennifer Roach, nowordained in the Anglican Church and acounselor forsexual abuse victims in Washington state, speaks of being sexually churches and religious schools, abused by Brad Tebbutt,then ayouth pastor at First Baptist Church in Modesto, in the1980s. She says she was14yearsold when it began. in Oregon and Missouri, is un- known. Interview requests sub- mitted to several known em- VIDEO Roach has been ordained in the ployers and former employers Anglican Church, she’s earned mostly have gone unanswered. Watchvideo reports to find out more. college degrees and she now It’s clear that soon after the modbee.com counsels sexual abuse victims, abuse ended, First Baptist lead- among other clients, in areli- ers knew. bo would respond only in writ- gious therapy group outside Afew months after Tebbutt ing, sidestepping some ques- Seattle. left town, the girl confided in tions. And she’s become asilence another youth pastor, who told The current lead pastor at breaker. then-high school pastor Marvin First Baptist –which changed to The #MeToo movement has Jacobo, who has led along and CrossPoint Community Church revealed heartbreaking stories distinguished in 2010 –arrived long after of people in positions of power ministry both at church leaders were rocked in abusing others, and now has the church and at private by this sex scandal, as offshoots such as #ChurchToo arespected reli- well as two others where adult and #MosqueMeToo. gious nonprofit volunteers molested several MARTY BICEK [email protected] Abusers and enabling church group in Modes- boys, in the 1980s. First Baptist became CrossPointCommunityChurch in 2010;itnow leaders, Roach said, “don’t get to. Enough boys shared their requires staff members to go through abuse prevention training. to be the only voice in what it Jacobo recently stories with authorities to con- means to have faith. They don’t Marvin confirmed that he vict the two men, although a get to steer this ship entirely on Jacobo had called Teb- delay in reporting allowed one went to police. They termed it who also attended First Baptist, their own. The people they’re butt after the girl to prey on more boys at another an affair, she said. Deborah Jules Vilmur and Jen- harming, they deserve better.” came forward all those years church down the road, court “They gave me specific direc- nifer Vanderpol Tracz, recently ago, and said Tebbutt confessed documents say. tions to never speak of the confirmed that she had confid- LIGHT ON AHILL to him. Jacobo then contacted But Tebbutt’s victim –still a events to anyone, because it ed in them about the abuse not First Baptist, now CrossPoint, Tebbutt’s wife and his boss at teenager, when she finally came would damage the reputation of long after it happened. has served many years as Mo- the time, he said. forward –was told to forgive the church, and of Jesus him- Today is Jennifer Graves desto’s go-to for prominent Tebbutt refused multiple and forget. self,” she said. “The abuse was Roach’s 47th birthday. She’s funerals, including a2003me- interview requests made via Church leaders never in- swept under the rug.” married and has ateenage son. telephone and email, and Jaco- formed her mother. They never Two friends from those days Since those days in Modesto, SEE ABUSE, 6A tion Conference, where speak- ers like WayneLaPierre, the Demmemo backs surveillance head of the National Rifle Asso- ciation, attacked what they calledits “rogue leadership.” by FBI of Trump’s former aide At the conference Saturday, Rep. Devin Nunes,R-Tulare, MORE INSIDE an attack on the Americandem- the committee’s chairman, said ON NBC TV BY KAROUN DEMIRJIAN ocratic system,the committee the newly released memo AND DAVID WEIGEL Howworried should Trump be about has been pulled into afurious showed that Democratswere Washington Post TODAY the Russia inquiry? 2A effort by Trump and his allies to engaged in acover-up and were Women’s 30km cross WASHINGTON sow doubts about the integrity “colluding with parts of the country; ice hockey; The House Intelligence Com- to undermine the congressional of the special counselinquiry government” to carry it out. closing ceremony mitteereleasedaredacted and special counsel investiga- and the agencies conducting it. The Democratic memo under- Democratic memorandumSat- tionsinto Russia’s meddling in The Democratic memo went daysofreviewbytop law MEDAL COUNT urday counteringRepublican the 2016 presidentialelectioN amounted to aforceful rebuttal enforcement officials after the claimstop FBI and Justice De- and possiblecoordination with to the president’s portrayal of president had blocked its outright CountryGSBTot partment officials had abused the Trumpcampaign. the Russia inquiry as a“witch release two weeks ago, withthe Norway 13 14 11 38 their powers in spying on a But the dueling accounts hunt” beingperpetrated by WhiteHouse counsel warning Canada 11 81029 formerTrump campaign aide. reflected an extraordinary politically biasedleaders of the that the document “contains Germany138728 The document was intended struggle on the committee to try FBI and the Justice Department. numerous properly classified and United States 98623 by Democrats to offer apoint- to shape public perceptions of The newfound animosity especially sensitive passages.” On Netherlands 86620 by-point refutation of what it the credibilityofthe nation’s toward the FBI among osten- Saturdayafternoon,after weeks As of 7p.m. ESTSaturday called the “transparent” at- top law enforcement agencies. sibly law-and-order Republicans of haggling over redactions, the tempt by President Donald For weeks, insteadoffocusing was reflected this past week at MORE WINTER OLYMPICS Trump’s allies on the committee its full energy on investigating the Conservative Political Ac- SEEMEMO, 2A COVERAGE INSIDE,3C CUSTOMER SERVICE Classified Issues &Ideas Obituaries To subscribe or reportdeliveryissues, 4E 1B 6B Comics Inside Local 3A Puzzles 5E 800-776-4233ormodbee.com/customer-service Explore 4B Lottery 2A Sports 1C 6A SUNDAY FEBRUARY252018 Coverstory MODBEE.COM “I woke up in the mid- dle of the night with him (Chapman) touching me,” Spencer said. “I freaked out. Ididn’t know if I should tell anybody, so of course Ididn’t. Ireally can’t tell you why, if it was out of shame or some- thing. How do you tell somebody, ‘Hey, this guy was touching me’?” Chapman and his fam- ily were good friends with and lived close to Spen- cer’s foster family, he said. Chapman continued molesting him, in the car while giving him rides home from church, and in the swimming pool during youth activities, Spencer said. In all, he was abused maybe 10 times over a couple of years, he said. One day, Spencer was in the attic installing the top end of aceiling fan. He peered through the ceiling hole into aroom and saw Chapman grab another boy, he said. “I said, ‘Enough’s enough. This guy’s going to screw somebody else up,’” Spencer said, and the story came out. His foster parents were “mad as hell at me, for exposing FRED BLOCHER Kansas CityStar it and bringing them some Brad Tebbutt nowworks forInternational House of Prayer of Kansas Cityasdirector of the Simeon Internship,aprogramfor people 50 and older. sort of shame,” he said. “I was not very happy with First Baptist, either,” FROM PAGE 1A youth pastor during a situation,” Roach said. “At “We believe every person By the time Roach Spencer said. “They kind youth activity at the form- first, they didn’t believe is created in God’s image sought help in early 1989, of pushed me aside as er Roller King. me. At subsequent meet- and is deeply loved by it’s possible that church well. Ihad been extremely ABUSE “I knew she was sad a ings they kept asking me if God. We believe people leaders were suffering involved, at every activity. lot. Icould tell she was Iwanted to take my story should be free of any kind from scandal fatigue. After Italked about Bob, I morial service for murder carrying something heavy. back. They asked if Iwas of abuse, which is why we was kind of an outcast.” victim Laci Peterson and So Ijust asked her what just doing this for atten- are constantly working CHILD MOLESTERSIN Boys in the group were her unborn son, Conner. was going on,” said Scott tion. toward greater account- CHURCH questioned, and Chapman The downtown church, on Mills. “I imagine she was “At one point they put ability and security. It Ayear before Tebbutt was charged in Stanislaus 12th Street, also has at the point of having to me in aroom with four or breaks my heart that left Modesto, Bob Chap- County Superior Court opened its doors to serv- tell somebody or implode.