Former Roaring Brook Baptist Church Youth Director Convicted of Child Sexual Assault

A jury in Pennsylvania found Richard Garnett, 73, guilty of multiple sexual-offense counts for abusing a boy in the Roaring Brook Baptist Church basement in Hunlock Creek between 2004 and 2006. The verdict includes involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, indecent sexual assault, statutory sexual assault, endangering the welfare of children, and corruption of minors. The survivor testified that Garnett repeatedly pulled him from a classroom, assaulted him in a darkened basement, forced him to wash his hands afterward, and told him “God would want you to do this.” Garnett was previously sentenced to at least six years in prison in 2021 after pleading guilty to molesting two girls in the early 1980s. He remains in custody pending sentencing scheduled for December.

Newsweek

Garnett’s earlier 2021 conviction stemmed from assaults on two girls in the early 1980s. In March 2021, Pennsylvania State Police arrested him after a 2017 search warrant at the Hunlock Township church uncovered computers and attendance records. During cross-examination, Garnett acknowledged his prior conviction and admitted taking the youth-director job despite a sexual attraction to children, though he later testified he was no longer attracted to minors.

Newsweek

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday praised the survivor’s courage and the work of investigators and prosecutors. He emphasized that Garnett exploited his role as an educator and leader within the church.

Newsweek

• “This defendant used his position as an educator and leader within the church to exploit vulnerable children,” — General Dave Sunday, pennsylvania attorney

Newsweek

• “God would want you to do this,” — General Dave Sunday, pennsylvania attorney

Newsweek

The court will determine Garnett’s sentence in December, where he faces additional time beyond his earlier imprisonment.

Newsweek