On May 30, CRN posted a piece by Lighthouse Trails titled “Saddleback Church Statement Appears to Downplay Role of Molester Ruben Meulenberg.” In it we stated:
Saddleback downplayed alleged child molester Ruben Meulenberg’s role at the church and it appears that he has been quite involved at Saddleback….and so are his parents, Abraham and Marieke. In fact, Abraham is a pastor in charge of interfaith outreach and was involved with Rick Warren’s efforts to form alliances with the Muslim community. So it seems there could be more here than meets the eye.”
As of this date, Rick Warren has not made a public statement. Since the news broke, LHT has been following the story. Here’s an update:
Ruben Meulenberg, the youth worker at Saddleback Church who was arrested for allegedly molesting two 14-year-old boys at Saddleback, has been charged with 5 felonies related to the molestation of the boys. At least one of the boys was 13 when the abuse began.
The following public information on the case has been released by the Orange County District Attorney’s office:
Case #17HF070
- Three felony counts of lewd acts on a child
- Two felony counts of lewd acts on a child under 14-year-old
- the above charges are given a Sentencing Enhancement for multiple victims (source)
Circumstances of the Case * At the time of the crime, Meulenberg is accused of being a volunteer youth mentor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest in a position of trust with access to children. * Between May 2016 and May 2017, Meulenberg is accused of committing lewd acts on 13-year-old boys John Doe 1 and John Doe 2, both on and off church property. * Between May 18, 2017, and May 22, 2017, the defendant is again accused of sexually molesting the victims, who were then 14 years old. * On May 24, 2017, a Saddleback Church representative reported suspected inappropriate conduct to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD), who investigated this case. * Meulenberg was arrested by OCSD on Thursday, May 25, 2017. * Prosecutor: Deputy District Attorney Courtney Thom, Sexual Assault Unit