A former Council Bluffs youth pastor allegedly told the teens he is accused of sexually exploiting that he was trying to help them gain “sexual purity in the eyes of God.”
Brent Girouex, 31, told Council Bluffs police detectives in February that starting in 2007 he had sexual contact with four young men who he knew while he was a youth pastor for Victory Fellowship Church.
Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber said the number has risen since Girouex first talked with police on Feb. 16. Now, Wilber said there are at least eight people who have come forward.
Girouex was arrested on 60 counts of suspicion of sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist earlier this month and has been released on a $30,000 bond. He is due back in court on April 21.
The Rev. Lonnie Parton of Victory Fellowship Church said church leaders were stunned when four young men came forward with allegations against Girouex in February.
Once Parton learned of the allegations, he confronted Girouex and told him he needed to go to the police and make a confession. He did so on Feb. 16.
Court documents indicated Girouex told investigators the most sexual contact he had was with one teen over a four-year period, starting when the boy was 14 years old. Girouex speculated that he had “mutual” sexual contact with the teen between “25 and 50 times” over the four-year period.
When investigators spoke to the teen, who is now an adult, he told them the number was between 50 and 100 times.
Girouex allegedly said as a youth pastor he felt it was his duty “to help (the teen) with homosexual urges by praying while he had sexual contact with him.”
Several additional victims also spoke with detectives.
At least three others – who were teenagers when the incidents occurred – told investigators the events happened at Girouex’s home. All three said they were at the house to be helped with “sexual purity.”
Another man said he was 23 years old and having problems with his wife when Girouex wanted to “help him with his issues.” The man alleged Girouex pulled down his pants and began to touch his genitals.
Yet another man said that over a five-week period when he was 20 years old, Girouex slowly evolved sexually contacting him from touching him over his clothes to oral sex.
Court documents stated Girouex said during all of the incidents, it was only about “helping the victims gain sexual purity.”
“When they would ejaculate, they would be getting rid of the evil thoughts in their mind,” he allegedly told detectives.
While there are at least eight people who have come forward, Wilber said investigators are still following leads to see if there are more victims in the case.
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