Pastor Allegedly Rapes Pregnant Woman At Knifepoint

A church pastor from Margibi County, Liberia was arrested last week after he allegedly raped a 21-year-old pregnant woman at knifepoint.

Apostle D. Franklin Snorton was accused of inviting the unnamed victim into his Mandingo Quarter residence last Friday before demanding sex while he pointed a knife at her, FrontPageAfrica reported.

The founder and general overseer of the Image of Christ Deliverance Philadelphia Central Church in Kakata then threatened to kill the woman if she resisted him, according to the outlet.

The woman returned home following the incident and informed her grandmother of the ordeal, and the latter reported it to the woman's father.

Members of the Liberia National Police arrested Snorton later that day after the alleged rape was reported to the Women and Children Protection Section at the force's Margibi County Detachment.

A medical report from the county's One-Stop Center where alleged rape survivors are tested showed that there was trauma to the victim's vagina and that there was evidence of penetration, police sources said.

Additionally, the woman's father also accused Snorton of harassing his daughter for sex prior to the Friday incident.

Snorton was scheduled to appear before the Kakata Magisterial Court Monday for his arraignment.

A similar incident happened when a former priest from a university in Ohio allegedly raped a student and convinced her the abuse would improve her mental health.

David Morrier, 59, who was a friar of the Province of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Penance, entered a not guilty plea to one count of rape and two counts of sexual battery before a Jefferson County, Ohio grand jury.

The former Franciscan University of Steubenville priest’s charges stemmed from a 2018 complaint that accused him of raping a student from November 2010 to spring 2013.

"[Morrier] used his position as a counselor or a therapist with her to make her believe that engaging in sexual activity with him will help with the mental health issues she was having," Jefferson County Prosecutor Jane Hanlin said.

Morrier, who was out on bond while he awaited trial, was cautioned not to have any contact with the victim.

The Loretto-based Franciscan Friars said Morrier was "removed from public ministry in 2015 due to allegations of sexual misconduct."