A 22-year-old Colorado Springs Pastor charged with eight felonies after impregnating a 14-year-old girl admitted to his wife that his "behavior was wrong" and that he carried out the crime because he was "full of lust."
According to The Gazette, Romello Leach, the pastor for several churches that meet at a Colorado Springs hotel, faces multiple counts of sexual assault on a child, who allegedly gave birth to his child on September 15th, just two months after her fifteenth birthday.
The teen, who was 14 at the time of the assault, reportedly did not inform anyone she was pregnant until her mother noticed her "larger belly" in May, arrest records stated.
An affidavit filed with the court stated that during a phone call with his ex-wife on Tuesday, November 21, Leach admitted to engaging in "at least four" sexual acts with the girl and to being the father of her baby.
During the conversation, his wife asked him why he'd sleep with a minor and get her pregnant when he knows the family well. Documents say that Leach replied that he knew he made "the worst mistake" and promised for it not to happen again.
"It is not like (Leach) will go around and sleep with everybody's 13 or 14-year-old daughter," he said during the conversation, the affidavit said.
Leach had another conversation with an unidentified person on November 21. During it, Leach said that his "behavior was wrong," adding that he was "full of lust" when he sexually assaulted the teen.
Leach's now-deactivated Facebook profile also says that he worked as an administrative assistant for a company based in Colorado Springs which specializes in teaching football coaches to "win more games and become a better coach," according to Heavy. Prior to his imprisonment, he worked as a minister for several churches which met regularly at the Satellite Hotel.
"It's just very disheartening and it's very concerning," Jackie Kirby of the El Paso County Sheriff's office told The Post. "You go to places and you're there to learn and to grow and fellowship, and this kind of thing happens and it's just tragic."
Leach is temporarily being held without bond and currently charged with four counts of sexual assault on a child under the age of 15 by someone in a position of trust, as well as four counts of sexual abuse of a child aged 15-18 by someone in a position of trust, The Gazette reports.
Deputies are now attempting to identify other potential victims, as Leach was in frequent contact with countless children due to his occupation as a pastor.
