Montco Pastor Convicted In Sexual Assault Of 3 Children: Report

PHILADELPHIA, PA — A pastor from Montgomery County who served in North Philadelphia was convicted Wednesday in the sexual assault of three children, including a former parishioner, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Mark Hatcher, 60, of Blue Bell served the Holy Ghost Headquarters Revival Center and was charged with more than a dozen felonies and another dozen-plus misdemeanors in connection with what Montgomery County prosecutors said was sexual abuse of the three minors.

Following the two-day trial in Norristown, the jury found Hatcher guilty of rape, statutory sexual assault, and indecent assault in incidents between 2000 and 2008 at his Blue Bell home and a church-owned property in Brewerytown, according to the Inquirer.

After the verdict, Hatcher told reporters that it's "not fair" and "there's no truth in it," according to the Inquirer.

Court records show that after his 2022 arrest by Whitpain Township Police, Hatcher was denied bail after his arraignment because the judge classified him as a "danger to the community."

A criminal docket sheet previously showed that Hatcher's charges included indecent assault of a person less than 13 years of age, corruption of minors, endangering the welfare of children, and indecent exposure.

According to a police criminal complaint filed by Detective Brad Potter of the Whitpain Township Police Department, the first victim said they were sexually assaulted on multiple occasions by Hatcher when they were 6 years old. The assaults occurred at Hatcher's Blue Bell residence, the victim told authorities.

One victim reported to authorities that the assaults occurred twice in the summer of 2007 and three times during the following summer.

A second victim said they were abused at Hatcher's Blue Bell home when he was 15 years old in late 2000.

The third victim told authorities they went to dinner at a New Jersey restaurant with Hatcher, and that when they were heading back home, they stopped off at a house being renovated in Philadelphia.

The victim, who was 13 years old at the time, said they were forcibly raped by Hatcher while the two were inside the home, according to the criminal complaint.

During the trial, Hatcher's lawyer called nearly a dozen character witnesses who spoke to Hatcher's "good character" and claimed he is "peaceful and nonviolent" and that the victims' accounts were "unreliable" due to their ages and the passage of time since the alleged incidents, the Inquirer reported.

Hatcher is scheduled to be sentenced on May 23, according to the outlet.