A young woman went to investigators at the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office and said she went to her pastor asking for help getting forgiveness for her sins.
He offered an anointing ritual but what happened during that ritual has her believing she is a victim of sexual assault.
Justine Morden says she worshipped at Grace Ministries in Kimball for years.
Last year she decided she wanted to repent for her sins, strengthen her relationship with god, and get more involved - so she met with Pastor Mitch Olson for counsel.
“I trusted him. He has been my pastor since I’ve been in 6th grade,” Morden says.
He told her he could cleanse her of her sins with an anointing ritual - but he didn’t have anointing oil at the church.
That evening she says he wanted to come to the then 19-year-old’s apartment. He said he could anoint her.
However she says he told her because she had committed sexual sins - he would have to anoint sexual parts of her body.
When her mother told her that is not how the anointing ritual should be - she says she was shocked.
We went to the church to ask to speak with the pastor.
When confronted, according to an investigative report, a church board member said the pastor told him his hand may have slipped in the oil.
During a board meeting the pastor said it was an unusual ritual - because it was an exorcism, not an anointing.
“I was completely shocked that he would have the audacity to say this,” Morden says.” No, I am not possessed.”
When asked if he touched Justine inappropriately by police, his answer according to the police report was “No. No. No.”
The prosecutor received the report Tuesday and says a decision on charges is to be made in as soon as two weeks.
