PENNSYLVANIA (WHP) — Attorney General Michelle Henry announced that five Pennsylvania men have been charged with sexual assault and the exploitation of children.
In each case, according to the attorney general, the defendants and victims were members of Jehovah's Witness.
Among the defendants are 62-year-old David Balosa of Philadelphia who allegedly became close to a family after moving to the United States and was allowed to stay in their home. Here, according to documents, he had access to a girl as young as four, whom he sexually assaulted. Balosa is charged with aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, and corruption of minors.
50-year-old Errol William Hall from Delaware County, an elder of the Jehovah's Witness congregation, is alleged to have inappropriately touched a teenage girl he knew through his Jehovah's Witness congregation. Hall is believed to have gained access to minors through his elder status in the congregation, which earned him the trust him of parents, according to the attorney general. He is being charged with indecent assault and corruption of minors.
45-year-old Shaun Sheffer of Butler County, allegedly sexually assaulted a young family member, beginning when the girl was as young as seven, according to documents. Sheffer is charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, and corruption of minors.
Terry Booth is a 57-year-old man, and he was a mentor to a 16-year-old boy who he met through his Jehovah's Witness congregation when he was living in Allegheny County. According to records, Booth engaged in inappropriate conversations and inappropriate touching with the teen. He is charged with indecent assault and the corruption of minors.
55-year-old Luis Manuel Ayala-Velasquez from Reading, PA, allegedly abused a young female family member for several years. He is charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children, and corruption of minors.
Anyone with information regarding child sexual abuse should make a report to ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313.
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