Church Music Minister Arrested On Internet Sex Charges
Posted: 6:31 am EDT March 25, 2008Updated: 1:32 pm EDT March 25, 2008
ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. -- The music director at Winter Park United Methodist Church remained behind bars Tuesday after he was arrested Monday as part of an online sex sting in St. Lucie County.
READ: Jack Aldrich Warrant Affidavit (Explicit - PDF)
The pastor at the church was meeting Tuesday with his senior church leaders. They expect the arrest will have a ripple effect through the congregation."They come up and they banged on the door and all of a sudden they banged harder," said Don Scharp, who lives across the street from 46-year-old Jack Aldrich's upscale Lake Mary townhome.Scharp watched Monday as sheriff's deputies collected bags of evidence and removed a computer hard drive from the home of the music director at Winter Park's First United Methodist Church."As soon as I saw the computer coming out, right away it flashed in my mind, 'Oh God!'" Scharp said.The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office says Aldrich solicited sex from an undercover deputy portraying a 15-year-old girl from Port St. Lucie. Detectives say he instant messaged the decoy from his home in Lake Mary and his office at the church over the past two weeks.Investigators say Aldrich stripped in front of a webcam, exposed himself and performed a lewd act. Investigators released a transcript of some of their conversations."This will sound silly but making you happy would make me happy really in any way I can. I like to please," Aldrich allegedly wrote to the detective.The church said it completed a background check before hiring Aldrich and issued the following statement: "We are responding with care and compassion to the congregation's needs."Now church members will decide if he will remain as their music director. Aldrich's neighbor, who has two young granddaughters, has already made up his mind."We got to get rid of him quick. We don't want him around," Scharp said.The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said it could take weeks to analyze the hard drives they seized. The U.S. Attorney's Office will then decide if it will press charges.Aldrich is being held on a $250,000 bond and is facing two charges, lewd computer solicitation of a child and lewd or lascivious exhibition.
READ: Jack Aldrich Warrant Affidavit (Explicit - PDF)The pastor at the church was meeting Tuesday with his senior church leaders. They expect the arrest will have a ripple effect through the congregation."They come up and they banged on the door and all of a sudden they banged harder," said Don Scharp, who lives across the street from 46-year-old Jack Aldrich's upscale Lake Mary townhome.Scharp watched Monday as sheriff's deputies collected bags of evidence and removed a computer hard drive from the home of the music director at Winter Park's First United Methodist Church."As soon as I saw the computer coming out, right away it flashed in my mind, 'Oh God!'" Scharp said.The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office says Aldrich solicited sex from an undercover deputy portraying a 15-year-old girl from Port St. Lucie. Detectives say he instant messaged the decoy from his home in Lake Mary and his office at the church over the past two weeks.Investigators say Aldrich stripped in front of a webcam, exposed himself and performed a lewd act. Investigators released a transcript of some of their conversations."This will sound silly but making you happy would make me happy really in any way I can. I like to please," Aldrich allegedly wrote to the detective.The church said it completed a background check before hiring Aldrich and issued the following statement: "We are responding with care and compassion to the congregation's needs."Now church members will decide if he will remain as their music director. Aldrich's neighbor, who has two young granddaughters, has already made up his mind."We got to get rid of him quick. We don't want him around," Scharp said.The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said it could take weeks to analyze the hard drives they seized. The U.S. Attorney's Office will then decide if it will press charges.Aldrich is being held on a $250,000 bond and is facing two charges, lewd computer solicitation of a child and lewd or lascivious exhibition.
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