HOUSTON – A southwest Houston pastor faces a federal charge of indecency with a child from an incident that allegedly took place in 2016, court records show.
Alex Cruz is one of the pastors at the Temple De Adonai Spanish Pentecostal Church near the 6000 block of Edgemoor in southwest Houston.
Court records show Cruz is accused of abusing a child under the age of 10, four times inside the church office in June 2016. During one of the alleged acts, Cruz is accused of forcibly grabbing the victim’s hand and placing it over his pants.
Cruz’s next court date has yet to be set, according to official Harris County records. The next service at his church is a youth service scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m., according to a sign in front of the church.
KPRC 2 Reporter Mario Diaz went to the church Friday to speak to Cruz but he refused to make comment, saying he needed his lawyer to be present. He also chose not to give any message for the people who attend his church.
Eduardo Lopez De Casas with the clergy abuse survivors organization, SNAP, said it’s often challenging for families in these circumstances.
“These people are considered holy men and so it’s a little harder for people to start reacting because they are in disbelief,” De Casas said.
“It’s just not Catholic Churches we are dealing with, it’s churches from all denominations,” said Houston attorney Fletcher Cockrell who currently represents abuse victims against the Catholic Church.