Gresham pastor appears in Bend court on abuse charges
Appearing by video from jail Wednesday afternoon, Gresham Pastor James Worley got emotional as he heard the charges against him, alleging that he’d sexually abused a boy and girl between 2002 and 2004.
“(The boy) was approximately 2 years old to 4 years old and (the girl) was between 6 and 8,” Deschutes County Deputy District Attorney Brigid Turner said in Circuit Judge Randy Miller’s courtroom.
Worley, senior pastor at Powell Valley Church, is charged with numerous counts of raping, sodomizing and sexually abusing the girl. He was arrested late last month in Gresham and brought to Bend Tuesday.
He’s also charged with three counts of inducing the boy and girl to engage in sexual conduct in another person’s view.
Prosecutors worry there’s more victims.
“His access to children over the years, working with children, he is currently a youth pastor in Gresham,” Turner said.
Turner said there could also other victims in Deschutes County. She said during the time of the alleged abuse, Worley was leading summer camps in Sunriver as a recreation director.
NewsChannel 21 reached out to the Sunriver Owners Association, which runs a recreation department, but officials said they cannot comment on past or current employees.
Turner said if Worley is convicted of the crimes, he’ll face a tougher penalty than most.
“The allegations include what’s called Jessica’s Law because of the extreme youth of the victims. The mandatory minimums take into account the vulnerability of these victims,” Turner said.
Turner said Worley lived in Bend from 2001 to 2004.
According to the Powell Valley Church website, Worley has been the lead pastor at church since 2012.
Worley also spent a brief time as a police officer in Tillamook, working from 2005 until his badge was revoked in 2007 for numerous cases of misconduct, including unwanted sexual harassment of a woman in the area’s 911 dispatch center.
Judge Miller increased Worley’s bail from $500,000 to $1 million. He’s expected to next appear in court on Jan. 29th at 1:30 p.m. for a plea hearing.
