Nathan Van Alfred Luong, a pastor from Rochester, Minnesota, is accused of criminal sexual conduct with a teenager who was seeking spiritual guidance and faith counseling.
Luong, 36, faces three charges, “including one count of criminal sexual conduct during a religious counseling meeting,” according to Fox 9.
The Sleepy Eye Police Department received multiple reports of Luong’s misconduct and he was charged on Friday.
Fox 9 reports that Luong admitted to a reporter “that she had a sexual relationship with the teenager at Trinity Lutheran Church.”
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FILE – A wooden cross sits on the altar of a church.
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The sexual encounters with the 17-year-old girl occurred at church, as well as on a youth trip to Montana between October 2019 and February 2020.
In May 2022, Luong initially denied having relations with the teenager after police acted on leads. A sofa cover from the church was seized for DNA testing.
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In October 2022, the sperm on the cover matched Luong. The DNA of a woman on the cover was also discovered after police implemented a warrant to examine the woman.
FILE- Hands resting on an open Bible as a person prays.
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The woman admitted to having sex with Luong multiple times when she was 17 and 18, both at Luong’s home and at church.
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Luong was booked into the Dodge County Jail and will return to court on December 23.
