A 71-year-old man, who served on the governing board of a Christian & Missionary Alliance church in Alaska linked to the Chi Alpha sex abuse scandal, has been charged with 17 counts of child sex abuse.
Alaska State Troopers on June 6 arrested Dwight “Chris” John, 71, on Prince of Wales Island and then remanded him to Ketchikan Correctional Center, located 55 miles away. Police charged John with six counts of sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree, seven counts of sexual abuse of a minor second degree, one count of sexual abuse of a minor three degree, and three related Class C felony charges.
The church where John served, Clover Pass Community Church in Ketchikan, is the same church where Daniel Savala ministered as an itinerant youth leader from 1995 to 1997 and abused multiple children. Savala was convicted of child sex abuse in 2012.
Despite this past, Savala went on to serve as a mentor and teacher for several Texas chapters of Chi Alpha Campus Ministries. There, he allegedly abused numerous college students over many years, raising questions about Clover Pass’s handling of Savala’s past crimes.
Savala also has been accused of abusing a minor in the past several years. On June 2, 2023, Savala was arrested in Texas and charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child under age 14, a first-degree felony in Texas.
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John reportedly admits crime, says God has ‘forgiven him’
According to KRBD, investigators claim John’s alleged abuse occurred over a period of several years in Ketchikan and on Prince of Wales Island.
In a recent forensic interview with investigators, John reportedly corroborated “nearly all” of the claims of the victim. John also claimed he abused the child because the child wanted him to. “It was all for (the child), it wasn’t for me,” John reportedly said.
An archived version of the website for Clover Pass Community Church describes John as a “long-time member of the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad who brings a sense of caring to the Board.”
Based on police records, KRBD reported that investigators conducted an interview last week that included John and the victim’s father. John told the father “he almost decided not to take a church leadership position because of the alleged abuse. But he said he decided to because he felt God had forgiven him.”
TRR reached out to Clover Pass Community Church for comment, but the church declined to speak to us.
However, the Christian & Missionary Alliance released a statement regarding the situation, noting that the district superintendent for the Alliance Northwest District met with church leadership “as soon as he became aware of this issue.”
“While the victim was a family member, not a church member, we are no less grieved by the sinful actions of someone in leadership in one of our churches,” the statement said. “The C&MA strongly condemns sexual abuse and exploitation—especially of children. This individual is no longer in church leadership.”
‘A larger, systemic issue’
John’s arrest prompted lively conversation on an online forum known as XA and the Lion’s Den that has tracked the Chi Alpha/Daniel Savala sex abuse scandal. The forum’s moderation team, which includes Ron Bloomingkemper Jr., Monica Roeger, and Olivia Wolf, issued a joint statement in response.
“Predators are attracted to the church environment for a reason,” wrote the abuse survivor advocates. “While our focus here has been Daniel and wherever he had influence, we must always keep in mind that there is a larger, systemic issue here. Daniel is not a one-off. Neither is John (emphasis in original).”
The moderation team questioned how “another abuser gain(ed) a leadership position and escape(d) the notice of those around him? What sort of education and resources were provided to CPCC members and leadership after Daniel’s abuses came to light to prevent this from happening again?”
A forum user, who stated he previously attended Clover Pass Community Church, replied: “Nothing was done after Daniel’s arrest. Nothing changed. Radio silence.”
This article has been updated to accurately state the source of a statement from an online forum.
Freelance journalist Josh Shepherd writes on faith, culture, and public policy for several media outlets. He and his family live in the Washington, D.C. area.
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One Response
” “It was all for (the child), it wasn’t for me,” John reportedly said.”. “… he felt God had forgiven him.” “. “… how “another abuser gain(ed) a leadership position and escape(d) the notice of those around him?”
My sense is, that much centers on how these three elements hang together. It seems to me that there is here an opportunity to salvage something useful from what is dreadful.
A child has been harmed. A Church and Christianity has been harmed. John has harmed himself.
Is it then possible to research the dynamics of all this, across compassionate counselling of John as he faces almost inevitable imprisonment and personal hell.
How was it possible for John to think: “it was all for the child”; and “God has forgiven him [me]”. How was John understanding God and Christianity in that thinking. How was it possible for all this to remain hidden from other Christians.
Not so as to only understand John, but also to understand how practiced Christianity (looked at theologically and doctrinally) could be blinded to knowing the John that could think those thoughts and do those deeds. Looking to the psychology and social psychology in all of this, not just at needed safeguarding measures going forward. Looking at how we as individuals might better sense and see the signs of something untoward: so as to prevent what sees a child harmed; so as to prevent another John doing what he has done.