Police in Grapevine, Texas, have charged a pastor with possessing child sex abuse material, after finding spy cameras in the church’s missionary housing residence, according to a police statement.
Arturo Alarcon, 38, who worked as an associate pastor at 121 Community Church in Grapevine and as a school volunteer for the Grapevine School District, was arrested Dec. 6 for possessing child sex abuse material.
Police accused Alarcon of setting up spy or surveillance cameras inside a mobile home 121 Community Church uses as temporary housing for visiting families.
Fox 4 reported a man noticed a clicking noise from an alarm clock, realized the clock took a memory card, and then discovered the camera. The church reported the findings to Grapevine Police.
Through their investigation of Alarcon’s electronic devices, Grapevine Police found a downloaded image of child pornography on his cell phone. Detectives said the photograph was unrelated to the initial report. All of Alarcon’s electronics are being analyzed by detectives, the press release states.
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Grapevine Police Spokesperson Amanda McNew told Fox 4 “The person who planted those cameras knew what they were, and they were intentionally put there.” McNew said Alarcon would bring families into the mobile home.
“He had the codes to get into it,” Fox 4 reported.
Alaron was also a volunteer with the Grapevine Community Outreach Center and its after school program and was a substitute teacher with Grapevine-Colleyville School District.
A message left with 121 Community Church was not returned, but Fox 4 reported Alarcon was fired from the church and Grapevine School District.
Fox 4 released the church’s statement which read, “The Grapevine Police Department has stated that the investigation is ongoing and there is no evidence of additional crimes. We have been in contact with the Grapevine Police Department and continue to cooperate with the investigation. We currently have no indication from law enforcement or any other source that local children were involved with the alleged conduct.”
Sheila Stogsdill is a freelance print journalist and digital reporter, primarily covering crime issues for KSN/KODE.
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