Man Tied To Lake Norman Church Charged With Child Sex Assault

DAVIDSON, NC — A South Carolina man with former ties to a Lake Norman church is under investigation by Davidson Police following allegations he sexually assaulted a 7-year-old boy in the area, as he also faces charges that he sexually assaulted 14 children while volunteering at a North Charleston church.

Charges were brought against Jacob Hazlett, 28, in South Carolina after security camera footage at the Newspring Church recorded him sexually assaulting a three-year-old boy in a bathroom at the North Charleston church, according to WCNC. the discovery led to more charges and he is accused of sexually assaulting 14 children at the church in the last 90 days in incidents that were all captured by the security camera, the station said.

On Monday, Davidson Police Department launched its own investigation into Hazlett after staff at Davidson Elementary School alerted them that a 7-year-old student said he had been sexually assaulted in the fall of 2017, The Charlotte Observer said. A DPD spokesperson confirmed to the newspaper that the department was investigating “an allegation of an incident that might have occurred in our jurisdiction,” but would not comment further.

Hazlett is a former volunteer at Elevation Church in Lake Norman from 2014 to 2018, according to reports. A church representative told WCCB that while no incidents were reported, leadership moved him to another volunteer role in the church becuase there was "an unwasy feeling with how he interacted with supervised kids," the station reported.

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* This article previously stated Hazlett volunteered at The Cove in Mooresville. We regret the error.

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