EDITOR'S NOTE
Ashland Source does not identify victims in sexual crimes without their consent. The victim in this case is a minor. This story was updated Thursday to reflect comments from the Ohio Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
ASHLAND — A Canton-area pastor kidnapped a 14 year-old extended family member and made sexual advances on her during a camping trip in Ashland County, authorities alleged.
Jesse Santos, 59, faces four counts related to the incident authorities say happened Sept. 17 and 18.
He pled not guilty to the charges during a hearing Tuesday in Ashland County Common Pleas Court. Magistrate Emily Bates set bond at $250,000.
Ashland County Prosecutor Matt Metcalf said Santos took the teen camping alone in Ashland County to make “sexual advances” on her.
“There was DNA testing done and the defendant’s DNA was found on the victim’s lips, confirming a lot of her story,” Metcalf said.
An Ashland County grand jury indicted Santos on Feb. 14, court records show. The court then approved an arrest warrant for Santos, who lives in Uniontown — a small census-designated place between Akron and Canton in Stark County.
He’s been charged with two felonies — kidnapping and gross sexual imposition. The other two charges, sexual imposition and endangering children, are listed as first-degree misdemeanors.
Court records from Stark County show Santos was arrested Feb. 16. He posted a $90,000 surety bond on Feb. 18 and was transported to Ashland County Jail the same day.
He remains jailed in Ashland County.
To post bond, Santos must pay $250,000 and sign a personal recognizance, which means he would agree to appear at all future court proceedings and to follow other conditions.
District pastor
Santos is listed as a district pastor for the Canton, Carrollton, Massillon Connections and Wooster Seventh-day Adventist Churches.
The district is part of the Ohio Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, a network of “over 100 diverse congregations, 11 schools and more than 15,000 members,” according to its website.
It also owns Camp Mohaven in Danville, a 700-acre camp along the Mohican River in Knox County.
The Ohio Conference is one of eight within the Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, which oversees church activities in seven Mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia.
A conference spokesman said Santos has been placed on administrative leave.
“We take this matter extremely seriously and are working closely with the local police to address the situation. Our highest priority is the well-being of our members, our employees and the public,” said Francis Tuffour, the Ohio Conference’s digital media and communications director.
“We will remain in close communication with authorities in the coming hours and days and will provide additional information when we are able to verify the facts. Our prayers go out to those affected by this situation, and we ask all members of the Ohio Conference and people of faith to join us in asking God to bring comfort during this difficult time,” reads a statement from the Ohio Conference.
What is a Seventh-day Adventist?
The denomination, headquartered in Silver Spring, Md., has its roots in the preaching of William Miller of New Hampton, New York, a Baptist layman who said his study of the Book of Daniel indicated the end of the world would come in the mid-1840s.
It later split into smaller groups. One of them, influenced by the visions of Ellen Harmon, who later married James White, became the precursor of the current practice.
The term “Adventist” reflects the belief that a second coming of Christ is near. “Seventh-day” reflects the church’s observation of the Sabbath on the seventh day of the week, which falls on Saturday.