Former Elgin Pastor Preached Day After Assault Reported: Police

ELGIN, IL — Three months before an Elgin pastor allegedly sexually assaulted a young member of his church, he asked the teenage girl if she "liked liked him." Police documents used to obtain a search warrant for Elizandro Salazar-Montoya, of the 1 to 99 block of Lord Avenue in Carpentersville, show the former pastor at Iglesia Apostólica de Elgin (IAFCJ) church assaulted and abused the girl in his car after the girl asked for a ride home in November 2018, the Daily Herald reports.

Salazar Montoya is charged with criminal sexual assault, a Class 1 felony, and four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony, in connection with the allegations.

Following the 2018 attack, the girl did not immediately tell her parents or police about the assault. The girl reached out to a female volunteer at the church this past August regarding the assault and two months later, told her parents about the attack, according to the article. The affidavit shows the volunteer reported the incident to two pastors at the church, but Montoya-Salazar still went on to preach at the church the following day.

Bail for Salazar Montoya has been set at $300,000. If he is released from jail, he is prohibited from having contact with the victim or the victim's family or having any contact with anyone younger than 18 years old, according to a news release from the state's attorney's office.

He is also barred from coming within 500 feet of the victim's residence or from being within 500 feet of the church. In addition, he must relinquish his passport and cannot leave the state of Illinois, prosecutors said.

Meanwhile, the case remains under investigation. Anyone with additional information that could aid investigators should call the Kane County Child Advocacy Center at (630) 208-5160.
Salazar Montoya is next expected in court on Oct. 25

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