Protest Planned At OC Church Embroiled In Child Porn Lawsuits

LAGUNA HILLS, CA — A protest is being planned at a South Orange County church in response to two civil lawsuits being filed against Crossline Church alleging serious sexual misconduct and institutional failures.

News of the protest comes after former church employee Jacon Melvin Hart was accused of giving two juvenile congregants computers equipped with software that allowed him to secretly record them in their bathrooms, The Orange County Register reported.

The lawsuit alleges that members of Crossline Community Church, who employed Hart, were aware that Hart had been convicted in Oregon for a similar offense when he was hired in 2012 to manage the church's audiovisual and computer technology operations.

"This is one of the most blatant failures to protect children at a church I’ve ever seen. This is now the second lawsuit involving Crossline Church with many more about to hit," Lawyer Elan Zektser with Oakwood Legal Group told Patch. "The information being disclosed raises serious questions about what the church knew, when it knew it, and how it chose to respond. The fact that members of the church community are publicly calling for leadership resignations underscores the gravity of these concerns."

The planned protest will hear from Zektser, who will announce the filing of the second lawsuit and disclose additional information that was not previously made public, he said.

The protest takes place at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 1 on the sidewalk in front of Crossline Church, 23331 Moulton Pkwy.