A 34-year-old preacher sexually assaulted the girl who babysat his eight children for two months while his wife was in the hospital, and admitted to the crime in church, authorities said.
Junior Augustin, described as an evangelist in online videos of his sermons, is charged with sexual battery on a minor 16 or 17 years of age and sex offense of a victim over 12 and up to 15 years of age.
Detectives in the Broward Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit arrested Augustin at his home in Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, according to a news release from the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
The girl stayed at his home watching his eight kids in January and February, while Augustin’s wife was in the hospital, according to the probable cause report for Augustin’s arrest. In March, the girl returned to her home.
Her mother noticed behavior that she described as “suspicious,” so she searched her daughter’s phone and found sexually explicit photos and messages between Augustin and the girl, expressing their love for each other via Whatsapp and Telegram, the report says.
After Augustin’s actions came to light, officials at the church in unincorporated central Broward where he was a preacher held a meeting to confront him, the report says. Augustin’s wife attended the meeting, and everyone involved was notified that the audio from the meeting was being recorded as was customary for regular church meetings, the report says.
A week later on March 18, Augustin called for a second church meeting with all the same people. Audio from the second meeting was also recorded, the report says.
In both meetings, Augustin confessed he preyed on the girl, the release says. Detectives received the recordings of Augustin’s confession, and either the girl or her mother said they wished to press charges against him. The release from the Sheriff’s Office did not include the name of the church.
Augustin remained in jail Thursday afternoon on a $50,000 bond for each charge.
Investigators said they are concerned there may be more victims and asked anyone with information to contact Detective Dimos Charoudis at 954-321-4243. Those who want to remain anonymous can contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477 or online at browardcrimestoppers.org.
Other South Florida preachers have faced charges for preying on children. In 2018, two men, one of whom was a preacher, were charged with sexually abusing the same girl for over a year.
In 2016, Luis Clarke, a youth pastor at a now-defunct Pembroke Pines church, was charged with repeatedly raping a young girl and threatening to turn her and her family into immigration authorities if she told anyone.
In 2015, church youth pastor, charter school disciplinarian and unofficial foster parent Jeffrey London was convicted of a federal sex abuse charge for using a cellphone to lure a boy into sexual activity. He later died while serving a life sentence in federal prison.
Brooke Baitinger can be reached at: bbaitinger@sunsentinel.com, 954-422-0857 or Twitter: @bybbaitinger
