Pastor sentenced to 3 years in prison for sexually abusing women

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PORTLAND -- A pastor who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting five women in his Portland church was sentenced to three years in prison.

Sergio Alvarizares, 39, the former co-pastor of Casa del Padre, a nondenominational Spanish-speaking church, had originally been charged with raping one woman, attempting to rape two others and sexually abusing two others. Last month, he pleaded guilty to attempted rape and third-degree sexual abuse. Alvarizares and his wife, who have three sons, had been co-pastors of the church for several years.

The crimes became public last fall when a woman interrupted a Sunday service to accuse Alvarizares of making unwanted sexual advances. Other women then stood up to confront Alvarizares. As the crowd grew unruly, five people reportedly tried to get onto the pulpit. Several people dialed 9-1-1 and police arrived to restore order.

The pastor was arrested in mid-October at his Ridgefield, Wash., home.

During Wednesday's hearing in a Multnomah County court, Deputy District Attorney Christine Mascal thanked the women for coming forward with their stories despite repercussions.

"They were driven away from the congregation ... by supporters of the defendant," Mascal said. "And in spite of that, they are here today."

The terms of the plea agreement required Alvarizares to stand up in court Wednesday and apologize. "Do I have to?" he asked Judge Eric Bergstrom. "Yes," the judge replied.

In a voice lacking emotion, Alvarizares read a few sentences from an apology letter, saying in part that he was "sincerely sorry for all the sexual contact."

One of the victims spoke, telling Alvarizares that he abused her trust. She also spoke of the humiliation of coming forward.

"I was publicly pointed at, labeled and my personal things were aired as if they were public," she said.