SAY WHAAAAT?!?! Church Worker Caught on Camera Sexually Abusing a 3-Year-Old Boy!
This is absolutely SICK! A South Carolina church volunteer has been arrested for performing oral sex on a 3-year-old boy. 28-year-old Jacop Robert Lee Hazlett was arrested and is being charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor after he was caught on camera abusing the child.
According to WSCS Live 5:
"Investigators say Hazlett escorted a 3-year-old boy into a bathroom at the Newspring Church, located in the 5100 block of Ashley Phosphate Road on Nov. 25. The affidavit states the boy used the restroom and when he was finished, Hazlett performed oral sex on him before pulling the boy’s pants back up."
On Wednesday morning, the church issued a statement to families of children in their preschool ministry:
On Monday, Nov. 26, 2018, NewSpring Church was made aware of a concern about Jake Hazlett (“Hazlett”), a volunteer who served in KidSpring at the Charleston Campus, and the possibility of inappropriate interaction with children.
Once we were made aware, we reviewed video footage from the past 90 days in which Hazlett served as a Kidspring volunteer. In the videos, it appears there was inappropriate conduct by Hazlett. We immediately took steps to prevent Hazlett from volunteering in any capacity at our church in the future and, at the same time, we reported this information to law enforcement. NewSpring is fully cooperating with law enforcement’s ongoing investigation.
NewSpring is steadfastly committed to safety and security, and because of this commitment, we have an extensive screening process for all adults before they are allowed to volunteer with children, birth through 12th grade. As a part of NewSpring’s child safety and security program, we perform criminal background checks, interview each potential volunteer candidate one-on-one, and provide detailed training for volunteers serving with children of all ages. Our background check includes verification of Social Security number, address history, National Criminal Database Search, National Sex Offender Search, and re-verification of no records of criminal convictions or use of aliases. Hazlett successfully completed our volunteer screening process before he was allowed to volunteer. Also, as part of NewSpring's commitment to safety and security, every KidSpring room contains video cameras.
If you have reason to believe inappropriate interactions may have occurred between Hazlett and your child, please contact Paul Schoolfield with the North Charleston Police Department immediately at 843-740-2521. You can also call Ryan Kirkland, our Charleston Campus Pastor, on his cell phone at 803-413-8422."
The church is adamant that they thoroughly vetted Hazlett before he started volunteering back in March of this year. They insist that after checking his social security number, national criminal database and the national sex offender database his identity came back clean.
Right now Hazlett is being held without bond and the church is asking parents who believe their child came in contact with Hazlett to reach out to police. We hope he rots!
