A Minnesota church community is reeling after learning that a church volunteer, arrested and charged last week with sexually assaulting multiple children, has a decades-long history of similar allegations.

According to a criminal complaint, Joshua Alirio Seeman, 50, has been charged with assaulting four children between the ages of 4 and 6 at King of Kings Lutheran Church and School in Roseville, Minnesota. The alleged assaults occurred this year.

Seeman faces two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with someone under 14 and two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with someone under 14. He is being tried in the Ramsey County District Court.

According to the criminal complaint, police also have reports alleging that Seeman committed sexual assaults in 2001, 2006, 2014, 2015 and 2022. 

However, the complaint states that prosecution on all but one of these cases has been declined because Seeman has a cognitive disability. In that one case, Seeman was deemed incompetent to stand trial.

“Seeman is a cognitively delayed adult with a lengthy history of sexual assault accusations against him made by vulnerable adults, and now young children,” the complaint reports. “Multiple attempts have been made to get Seeman help for his sexual acting out, but his deviant behavior continues.”

According to an email obtained by Alpha News, King of Kings allegedly performed a background check on Seeman in November 2021.

Seeman passed a Protect My Ministry background check before beginning volunteer work, the church’s senior pastor, Steven Bielenberg, and school principal, Jay Schutte, reportedly said in the email.

Then in 2023, Seeman completed a sexual abuse awareness training course in August 2023, the email reportedly said.

The Roys Report (TRR) reached out to King of Kings Lutheran Church and School for more information, but the church declined to comment.

Following Semen’s arrest on April 10, police said that Seeman’s brother, who acts as his legal guardian, told police that they weren’t allowed to interview Seeman. Instead, the brother was “going to seek the advice of an attorney on his brother’s behalf.”

“The state views Seeman (as) a high risk to public safety,” the complaint states. “Given his known history of acting out sexually, the state asks that he be held in custody until arrangements can be made preventing his access to vulnerable adults and children.”

Seeman is currently being held in Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center.

Seeman assaulted children in church bathrooms

Seeman’s latest criminal charges stem from a series of reports submitted by parents who allege Seeman assaulted their children in the church’s bathroom, according to the criminal complaint. Seeman regularly took the children to the bathroom and locked them in stalls with himself for extended periods of time.

On April 6, police responded to a report from a father who said his 5-year-old son was sexually assaulted by Seeman during Sunday school at King of Kings.

The father told police that after picking his son up from church, the boy complained about his body hurting. The boy then disclosed that Seeman had taken him to the bathroom and assaulted him.

The boy alleged that Seeman had done this around three or four times in the past, according to the criminal complaint.

The father also reported that Seeman has been repeatedly messaging and calling the family, offering to watch the victim.

Then on April 7, police responded to reports from three more parents that alleged Seeman committed similar sexual assaults against their children this year. The assaults reportedly involved penetration and fondling, according to the criminal complaint.

The victims included a 6-year-old boy, a 5-year-old girl, and a 4-year-old boy. Following the alleged assaults, Seeman repeatedly contacted these parents and asked to watch their children outside of church, the complaint notes.

One of the victims is the grandson of a former assistant pastor from the church, according to the complaint. The former pastor alleged Seeman touched his grandson’s genitals.

After the child told his family this, the child reportedly asked, “Mr. Josh asked me to pull my pants down. Is that wrong?” The boy then began crying.

Seeman has volunteered at the church for the past two years, the complaint states.

Attorney: Churches need to go beyond background checks

According to the email obtained by Alpha News, King of Kings first learned of Seeman’s past allegations after receiving the formal criminal complaint on April 11.

The email said the church sent a cease and desist to Seeman and that the church’s attorney is working on securing a restraining order for the ministry.

“We are requesting the court to order him not to communicate, in any form, with any church or school family,” the email reportedly said. “We know this will be a long process. We are in the process of reevaluating our procedures and policies.”

King of Kings is a part of the Minnesota South District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS), according to its website. The Synod states that it requires churches to do their “due diligence to ensure that workers and volunteers have passed any necessary background screening.”

Churches can’t rely on standard criminal background checks alone to ensure volunteers or staff members are safe, said Boz Tchividjian, an attorney specializing in church sexual abuse cases.

Tchividjian said churches can conduct deeper background checks that look beyond just when someone has been charged with a crime—checks can evaluate arrest records, too.

He said church can take any piece of information found in these reports to better research court records.

However, background checks shouldn’t be the only tool churches have to ensure a safe environment, he said.

“So often times. . . we use this background check as the end-all litmus test to determine whether someone is capable and qualified to serve,” Tchividjian said. “The research clearly tells us that most offenders never get caught, or most of the time, when they do get caught, they’ve already offended dozens of people.”

Instead, churches need a holistic approach to keeping children safe. Tchividjian said everyone in the church needs to be trained on how to spot red flag behavior in individuals.

Additionally, churches need to cultivate a culture where people are comfortable reporting this information.

“A background check is a good tool, but it’s not the only tool,” Tchividjian said. “[Churches] should create a culture where people who see something that might be a little off actually feel safe and comfortable disclosing and reporting it.”

Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.