Florida Youth Pastor Arrested For Sexual Battery, Threatened To Call ICE On Teen's Family

Florida police have arrested a former youth pastor who allegedly threatened to call immigration authorities on a young girl’s family for sex.

Luis Clarke, 38, served as a part-time youth pastor of Abrazo tu Sueno Church in Pembroke Pines, Florida, until the church closed in 2018. During that time, it’s alleged that he sexually assaulted a minor from August 2016, when she was 15-years-old, to February 2017, when she was 16, according to the Sun Sentinel.

According to the arrest report, the alleged abuse started after Clarke threatened to report the girl’s family to authorities and have them deported unless she cooperated. He would reportedly pick her up from school, take her to his Pembroke Pines home, then have her undress and rape her. He is also said to have taken pictures of her on his iPad.

The report says the teen “never reported the sexual acts to her parents and went along with Clarke’s request because he threatened to report her and her family’s illegal status to authorities.”

Clarke is also accused of picking up the victim and a 15-year-old boy to take back to his home. Clarke allegedly then turned on his home alarm to keep both teenagers in the house and forced the boy to watch as he had sex with the girl.

Detective Alkie Lewis-Siminies, who helped write the report, said that Clarke “continued to yell at [the boy] demanding that he watch the sexual act,” calling him gay and saying the girl “belongs to him.”

It was the boy who ended up reporting Clarke to the police on April 3. Police began investigating the claims and subsequently arrested Clarke on Thursday morning on 25 felonies, including sexual battery of a minor and false imprisonment. He has since admitted to similar crimes with the girl in different jurisdictions, though he did not admit to having sex with the girl in front of the boy.

Clarke had his court hearing Friday morning and is being held on $660,000 bail with no contact with minors. If he does post bond, he has to wear a GPS ankle monitor.

It is also unknown if there are any other victims, but Captain Al Xiques of the Pembroke Pines police has encouraged any to come forward. “We are asking any parent or guardian whose child may have come into contact with the suspect through the church or otherwise, to please speak to them regarding this matter," he said. "If there is a concern of potential wrongdoing, they are urged to contact the Pembroke Pines Police Department.”