Youth pastor says Tampa church covered up sex abuse

Riverhills Church of God

A former youth pastor at a Tampa church says allegations of sexual abuse were covered up, and he was fired after telling higher-ups at the Riverhills Church of God.

John Lancer worked as a youth pastor at the church in 2016 when janitor Luis Lugo was fired for allegedly exposing himself to an elementary school student, according to a complaint filed by Lancer against the church.

The suit details that security cameras in the hallways near bathrooms in the church were removed and the church leadership in February 2016 noted Lugo disappeared in the building. The minor accused Lugo of abuse in March 2016, about a month after cameras were gone.

The victim of the alleged abuse was an elementary student at Grant Park Christian Academy, which rented space from Riverhills Church of God at the time but relocated shortly after the incident with the janitor. Church officials, according to the lawsuit, said it was the responsibility of the school to report the incident.

Lancer would not abide by that and called a child abuse hotline and state officials with the Church of God. The local church responded by firing Lancer and his wife Melissa, who also worked at the church.

The Riverhills church still houses another school, the Florida Autism Center of Excellence.

Hillsborough County records don’t show anyone named Luis Lugo being arrested on any sex-related charges in 2016. Lancer’s lawsuit says Lugo was the father-in-law of an administrative elder at the church.

Lancer’s lawsuit also alludes to another potential incident were middle-school helpers at the church acted inappropriately with a younger child and suggests church officials covered that up as well.

Lancer now lives in Warner Robins, Georgia. He is seeking actual and compensatory damages from the church and requesting a trial by jury.