Gordon Solomon, Inglewood Pastor, Allegedly Carried on Two-Year Sexual Relationship With 14-Year-Old

By Simone Wilson Fri., Jul. 6 2012 at 1:45 PM

Christ's Community Church

Pastor Solomon with his lovely wife Ruth.

Update: To be clear, Solomon's victim was a mere 12 years old when the alleged sexting/sexing began. That's CHILD status. More on his charges -- including "oral copulation" -- at the bottom.

Originally posted at 9:45 a.m.

A two-decade-old community church in Inglewood has been turned upside down this morning with news that its pastor, 50-year-old Gordon Solomon -- who poses happily with his wife Ruth in a photo on the church's website -- may have been sexting and molesting a young girl he met through work.

And the L.A. County Sheriff's Department says it has "reason to believe that there may be additional victims."

Here's the evidence against him:

Sheriff's investigators with the Special Victims Bureau say they were contacted by the mother of a 14-year-old girl after she "discovered an explicit text from Solomon directed to the victim."

When they tracked the young teen's digital trail, investigators determined that an "ongoing affinity" between her and the 50-year-old pastor had...

... developed and continued for (approximately) the past two years. Solomon and the victim exchanged numerous emails and texts of a sexual nature and met at various locations.

Christ's Community Church

Although it's not clear whether they actually had sex, the Sheriff's Department is alleging that Solomon engaged in "substantial sexual acts" with his victim, who he reportedly met through the church.

He's got a huge bail -- $3 million -- and is being held for "Lewd Acts Upon a Child, 288(a)," which means there was (allegedly) some very heavy petting involved. From the California Penal Code:

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (i), any person who willfully and lewdly commits any lewd or lascivious act, including any of the acts constituting other crimes provided for in Part 1, upon or with the body, or any part or member thereof, of a child who is under the age of 14 years, with the intent of arousing, appealing to, or gratifying the lust, passions, or sexual desires of that person or the child, is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for three, six, or eight years.

On its website, Christ's Community Church of Los Angeles says it "considers itself a Christian family amongst which one can learn and grow." Church activities include "Pastor's Bible Study" on Tuesday evenings, as well as programs like "The Elohim Praise Dancers" and "The 'Girls' singing group."

The only online review of the church we can find is one on Google, in which a user says: "Wonderful and exciting congregation with a dynamic Pastor." (A pastor who speaks the word of God and knows how to sext? Now that's dynamic.)

We've contacted Christ's Community Church for comment. But congregants, let us know: Did Pastor Solomon ever show any signs that he might have been engaging in this type of activity?

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Any additional victims, or anyone with information about the pastor's alleged two-year-relationship, are urged to contact the Special Victims Bureau at 1-877-710-5273.

Update: According to City News Service, the Los Angeles district attorney got involved today, charging Solomon with "nine felony sex-related counts involving an underage girl." These include...

... seven counts of committing a lewd act on a child and one count each of continuous sexual abuse and oral copulation of a person under the age of 14.

Christ's Community Church

The pastor with his congregants.

Sgt. Dan Scott at the Special Victim's Bureau says the girl was only 12 years old when Solomon began pursuing her in June 2010.

And, most creepily, the criminal complaint against the pastor says the abuse didn't end until this last Sunday.

"Based on statements obtained by interviews" during the investigation, Sgt. Scott says he believes the pastor may have molested other children at the church.

The 14-year-old's family belongs to Christ's Community Church, says Scott, and attends the pastor's sermons regularly. But it wasn't until the victim's mom found an alleged sext from Solomon that she began to get a glimpse behind the curtain.

[@simone_electra / swilson@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

Tags:

Christ's Community Church, Gordon Solomon, Inglewood, lewd acts, pastor, sexting

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Rachel42

What does this pedophile (alleged) have to do with Bush or Obama?!?! You guys are idiots

Christopher Neal

"You can't make light of a tragic death." Show me where it says that in the guide book, pendejo.

Jumbosclown

Making fun of people who die tragically is nasty , if you can't see that , you are a certified, ignorant, blind, moron. You can't make "light" of a tragic death . Thats how stupid you are . You can't be praying for someone in one breath and than making "light" of a tragic death and calling someone a faggot in the next breath , you intolerant imbecile. You are blind to your own stupidity . And who the fuck is Gustavo ? Your little friend in your empty useless head ?

Christopher Neal

Haha, you are funny Gustavo. Paid to look like a troll, paid to act like a troll. So because some faggot fell to his death and I make light humor from it, I should not have sympathy for some wife who's husband sexually molested children? How, I ask, would that make me a religious hypocrite? Because I feel sorry for Ruth, am I religiously then entitled to also feel sorry for some sodomizer? In what way was my comment "nasty?" Eh, Gus?

Pligg

Typical piece of shit hypocrite . Here , on this comment thread you offer "prayers" to poor old Ruth. On the comment thread about some guy falling to his death , you make a nasty comment , yes about someone who died . So f*** you you stupid typical religious hypocrite !!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are soooo righteous right ?

Jon Hughes

Tjmckeen

Blame whitey! Also, don't forget...it's Bush's fault!

Bushwhacked

It CANT be Bushes fault . Bush is a cokehead , do nothing ignorant papas boy . He is not smart enough to be responsible for anything . Especially finding fictitious weapons of mass destruction ! LOLOLOL

Lingling

Alway whitey fault. Erreything whitey fault!

Roscoe65

I'm surprised the black community isn't marching in the streets for the man. I'm sure this must be somesort of white man conspiracy. One heck of a Obama supporter too now.

Dan Morrison

Doesnt take much to be a "pastor" i guess.

Concetta

just as Joe responded I am impressed that a stay at home mom able to make $5087 in one month on the internet. did you read this site link http://goo.gl/TyIY9

R.W,

Salamom i am praying for you and your family ,You are a well educated man and God see hear and knows when to put things to an end ,u dont play in the house of God neither do you commit fornication .maybe you should have think before u commit the act ,what is in the dark must come to light.

Augie Max Vargas

INGLEWOOOOOOOOD!!!!

Christopher Neal

Everything is.

Hershs101

This is soo horrible

Jeff Doby

Throw away the key!

Bernlaura

He must be punished if he do such act

wlljohn7

At least the oil companies supply a useful and needed product. Mainstream religion is worthless, dangerous, and has no connection with reality or God. I'm neither an atheist or an agnostic, but I truly believe people would be better off spending their day of rest with their families and friends, and taking the money they would put into a collection plate and give it to a deserving charity.