Jury acquits Greene County pastor of assault, corruption charges
WAYNESBURG – An audience that had crowded into the Greene County Courthouse on Friday erupted in applause and shouts of praise to God and Jesus when their pastor was found not guilty of inappropriately touching a 10-year-old girl last summer at the Greene Valley Church of God in Carmichaels. A jury deliberated for two hours on the second day of the trial for William Larry Williams, 67, of Carmichaels before returning a verdict of not guilty on charges of indecent assault and corruption of minors.
“You be at my church Sunday,” Williams said afterward of the audience’s response.
He said he was a little surprised but referred to the church as a demonstrative church.
Williams remained pastor of the church but was on administrative leave since his preliminary hearing last Nov. 8. Rodney Jeffords, administrative bishop for the Church of God in Pennsylvania, said Williams resumes his full duties and responsibilities immediately. Williams said he will be at the pulpit this weekend for a celebration.
“It’s celebration time. It’s been a long, painful thing,” he said.
Asked if he could forgive his accuser, Williams said he could, “of course.”
The girl and her parents had quickly and quietly left the courtroom as Williams’ congregation members continued to celebrate, even sounding whistles and noise makers.
They formed a boisterous reception line in the courtroom, hugging a tearful Williams and patting him on the back. The members of the congregation gathered outside the courthouse and again applauded as Williams left.
The testimony was held Thursday throughout the day and closing arguments followed Friday morning.
The girl, now 11, accused Williams of inappropriately touching her when she was alone with him at the church the afternoon of July 13, 2002, when she and her mother were doing some cleanup work at the church, which was undergoing renovation.
Williams originally had been charged by Cumberland Township police with two counts of indecent assault and one count of corruption of minors; however, President Judge H. Terry Grimes told the jury of eight men and four women that they were considering just one count on each of the two charges. He said police had written the charge of indecent assault under two different sections of the law – one concerning contact without consent and one concerning a victim under the age of 13 – but the judge said the age element in the case was not presented or contested during the trial.
In his closing statement, attorney Harry Cancelmi, representing Williams, recalled that several witnesses he called to the stand testified that they were at the church when the girl and her mother were there, but the girl and her mother both testified for the prosecution that they knew of no one else there at the time.
He said the setting of the accusation was important. Noting that testimony revealed it was a hot summer day and doors were open or not on their hinges because of the renovation, Cancelmi said there were three views into the room from three different locations, and anyone who said they were at the church at the time could have seen the alleged assault take place.
Among his comments, Cancelmi noted a member of the congregation testified she and a relative saw the girl in a grocery store after the girl had made the accusation, and the witness’ relative asked why the girl did so.
According to the witness, the girl said, “It was fun.”
Cancelmi said testimony also concerned the open, giving nature of the church and pastor.
He questioned whether the girl could separate fact from fantasy, and he pointed to testimony that the girl was counseled about a lack of self-confidence and that she had threatened to harm herself.
He said he did not want to say the girl or her mother lied, but he noted that a child of 10 or 11 may believe what’s fantasy is real for bribes, revenge, anger or attention.
Assistant District Attorney Ricardo Cicconi said the jury needed to think about whom they could believe.
For one thing, he said, the girl’s mother said she did not say the girl threatened to take her life.
He also pointed to different versions of how many people were present at the church, recalling that the girl and her mother testified they were alone with the pastor while others testified they were there.
He recalled that one witness even said she talked to the girl and her mother.
Cicconi said the jury needed to think about the motivation and that the girl testified she loved Williams and thought of him as a grandfather.
He reasoned it could not have been easy or fun for the girl to relate such a story, since she loved Williams, or for the mother, since Williams was like a father to her. He said it would have been difficult for the family, because they were members of the church.
Cicconi commented the church members said Williams was always there for them, and at the trial “they were here for him.”