Minister Sentenced to Prison For Sex Abuse With 15-Year-Old Boy

Original Story Posted: March 08, 2010

"A man of great faith who preaches the whole counsel of God," according to the Web site for Refuge Temple Church of God in Christ. 

A minister in Shelbyville, Kentucky had been sentenced for particular, questionable escapades after having sex with a 15-year-old boy. 

To top things off, the minister, James Bell, is HIV positive and admitted to knowing that he was infected, even during the act. 

Bell has been sentenced to 7 years in prison along with another 20 years registered as a sex offender. 

Formerly a minister at Refuge Temple Church of God in Christ in Shelbyville, the case stretches back two years ago and the boy, now 17, reported that he was sexually abused on
various occasions by Bell. 

In 2008, Bell came forward, voluntarily, and informed authorities that he had sex with a juvenile. 

According to the church's Web site, Bell is married with three children. 

In regards to the victim, a representative of the Survivors Network Abused by Priests has stated that the boy will have a long road to recovery. 

"All child sex abuse, no matter who the perpetrator is, is horrific and damaging. But it's especially damaging if it's a religious figure," said David Clohessy with Survivors Network Abused by Priests (SNAP). 

"Because where do people turn in times of trauma? They turn to their faith for comfort, solace, guidance... so if the person molesting you is the minister or God's representative on earth, especially in a child's eyes, then that child is doubly abandoned." 

Fortunately, tests for the boy came back negative for HIV.