A church pastor holds one of the most trusted positions in a community. For families who bring their children to worship, to youth programs, to Bible study, the pastor is not simply an authority figure. He is, for many, someone whose words and intentions carry the weight of faith itself. When that trust is weaponized against children, the harm goes beyond the physical.

In early 2026, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Junior Andrew Bennett, 32, the head pastor of Breakthrough Church in Pacoima, on multiple charges of child sexual abuse. According to a report by KTLA, investigators believe Bennett used his pastoral role to manipulate minors before sexually assaulting them. Detectives believe there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward.

En Easton & Easton, we represent survivors of clergy and institutional religious abuse throughout Southern California. Cases involving a pastor or religious leader carry unique dimensions of trust, spiritual authority, and institutional silence that the law exists to address.

Puntos clave

  • Junior Andrew Bennett, 32, of Pinon Hills, was arrested following a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s investigation that began on January 14, 2026.
  • Bennett is the head pastor of Breakthrough Church in Pacoima and goes by the title “Prophet Junior Bennett.”
  • He was charged with sodomy of a minor, lewd acts with a child, and oral copulation of a minor.
  • Investigators stated that Bennett allegedly used his role in the church to manipulate minors and ultimately sexually assault them.
  • Detectives believe there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward. Anyone with information is asked to call the Victor Valley Sheriff’s Station at 760-552-6800 or Sheriff’s Dispatch at 760-956-5001. Anonymous tips can be submitted to We-Tip at 1-800-782-7463 or online at wetip.com.
  • Civil claims can be filed against both the individual abuser and, depending on the church’s response to warning signs, against the church as an institution for its role in enabling or concealing the abuse.

What Happened: The Arrest of Breakthrough Church Pastor Junior Bennett

On January 14, 2026, deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Victor Valley Station opened an investigation following reports of child abuse allegations involving Junior Andrew Bennett. A search warrant was subsequently served at a residence in the 1000 block of Tamarack Road in Pinon Hills, where Bennett was taken into custody.

Bennett, 32, was booked on charges of sodomy of a minor, lewd acts with a child, and oral copulation of a minor. The Departamento del Sheriff del condado de San Bernardino confirmed that Bennett serves as the head pastor of Breakthrough Church, located in Pacoima in the San Fernando Valley, and that he uses the title “Prophet Junior Bennett” in his religious role.

In a statement, investigators said they believe Bennett used his position within the church to manipulate minors before sexually assaulting them. The investigation is ongoing, and detectives have indicated they believe additional victims exist who have not yet come forward.

How Pastoral Authority Is Used to Groom and Silence Victims

Sexual abuse within religious institutions follows patterns that are distinct from, and in some ways more insidious than, abuse in secular settings. A pastor, priest, or religious leader does not merely hold institutional authority. In communities where faith is central to family and identity, that authority can feel absolute.

The use of a title like “Prophet” amplifies this dynamic. Prophetic titles within certain church traditions signal a direct connection to divine authority, one that can make a child or teenager feel that questioning the pastor is questioning God. Abusers who operate within these frameworks understand the power that comes with the title and can exploit it deliberately in the grooming process.

Grooming in religious settings often involves isolating a child under the guise of spiritual mentorship, prayer sessions, or pastoral counseling. It can include framing the relationship as divinely ordained, using scripture to normalize boundary violations, and creating a sense that the abuse is a secret between the child and God, not something to be shared with parents or authorities. The Organización «De la oscuridad a la luz» notes that abusers in positions of trust specifically select settings where their access to children is normalized and their authority is unlikely to be questioned.

This is why investigators’ specific language in the Bennett case, that he used his role in the church to manipulate minors, matters. It is not incidental to the criminal charges. It is the mechanism through which the abuse was allegedly made possible.

When Can a Church Be Held Civilly Liable for a Pastor’s Abuse?

Criminal charges address the conduct of the individual. Civil law addresses something broader: whether the institution that gave the abuser access to children, and the authority he used to manipulate them, bears its own responsibility for the harm that followed.

California courts have recognized that churches and religious organizations can face civil liability for the sexual abuse committed by clergy and staff when the institution:

  • Failed to conduct adequate background checks before placing a person in a pastoral or youth-facing role
  • Received complaints or warning signs about the individual’s conduct and did not investigate or report them
  • Allowed unsupervised one-on-one contact between the pastor and minors without adequate safeguards
  • Concealed prior allegations when the individual moved between congregations or affiliated organizations
  • Actively discouraged victims or families from reporting abuse to law enforcement

En California Assembly Bill 218 (AB 218), enacted in 2020, courts may award up to three times the compensatory damages when a covered entity, including a religious organization, engaged in a cover-up or concealment of childhood sexual abuse. The law also eliminated the civil statute of limitations for many childhood sexual abuse claims, meaning survivors can file even years after the abuse occurred.

California Penal Code Section 11165.7 designates clergy as mandated reporters of known or reasonably suspected child abuse. When a church or its leadership knew or had reason to believe that a pastor was abusing minors and failed to report that to law enforcement or a child protective agency, the institution’s own legal exposure compounds significantly.

The Geography of Trust: Small and Independent Churches as High-Risk Environments

Breakthrough Church, where Bennett serves as head pastor, operates in Pacoima, a community in the northeastern San Fernando Valley with a strong tradition of faith-based community life. Independent and non-denominational churches like Breakthrough occupy a particular position in the landscape of institutional accountability.

Large denominational structures, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, and others, have faced decades of pressure to implement abuse prevention policies, maintain offender databases, and create independent reporting mechanisms. Many have done so imperfectly, but the pressure and the infrastructure exist. Independent congregations frequently have none of that. There is no denominational oversight body to receive complaints, no shared database to cross-check a pastor’s background across congregations, and no external accountability mechanism beyond California law.

This gap is not a defense to liability. It is, in some respects, an aggravating factor. A church that operates without any formal child protection policies, that provides a charismatic pastor with unlimited access to minors in informal settings, and that structures spiritual authority in ways that make questioning the pastor feel like an act of faithlessness, has created the conditions for harm. Civil litigation can examine those conditions directly.

La Clergy Project and SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) have documented how the absence of denominational accountability structures in independent churches can leave survivors with fewer institutional channels for reporting, making the civil courts a critical path to both accountability and recovery.

Steps for Survivors of Clergy or Church Abuse

Póngase en contacto con las autoridades

If you or someone you know may have been abused by Bennett or has information relevant to the investigation, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Victor Valley Station is actively seeking contact. Call 760-552-6800 or Sheriff’s Dispatch at 760-956-5001. Anonymous tips can be submitted to We-Tip at 1-800-782-7463 or online at wetip.com. Reporting to law enforcement does not commit you to any particular course of legal action.

Busca apoyo especializado en traumas

La Línea Nacional de Ayuda contra la Agresión Sexual de RAINN is available 24/7 at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). SNAP specifically supports survivors of religious and clergy abuse and can connect you with local support networks. Abuse within a faith community can compound trauma in ways that are specific to that context, and working with a counselor who has experience with religious abuse survivors can make a meaningful difference.

Document what you know

Write down the timeline of your contact with Bennett, the settings in which abuse occurred, the names of anyone at the church who may have had knowledge of concerning behavior, and any communications or messages you may have saved. Notes made now protect your ability to act later.

Understand the civil options available

A civil attorney can assess whether claims exist against Bennett individually, against Breakthrough Church, or against any affiliated organization that provided access, oversight, or endorsement of his ministry. The first consultation is typically free and confidential, with no obligation to proceed.

Preguntas frecuentes

Can a church be sued for a pastor’s sexual abuse of a child?

Yes. California law permits civil claims against churches and religious organizations for negligent hiring and supervision of clergy who abuse minors. If the church knew or should have known of prior complaints, failed to conduct background screening, or provided the pastor with unsupervised access to children without safeguards, it can be held civilly liable alongside the individual abuser.

What makes clergy abuse cases different from other institutional abuse cases?

Religious authority creates a form of psychological power that can be especially difficult for child victims to resist or report. Courts and juries understand this. The grooming dynamic in clergy abuse cases often involves spiritual manipulation that goes beyond what occurs in secular settings, and civil attorneys who handle these cases know how to present that context effectively.

What if the church is small, independent, and has no formal policies?

The absence of formal policies is not a shield from liability; it can actually strengthen a negligence argument. A church that gave a pastor unchecked access to minors with no screening, no supervision structure, and no reporting mechanism failed the most basic duty of care. Civil litigation can examine those structural failures directly.

Does California’s AB 218 apply to claims against churches?

Yes. AB 218 applies broadly to covered entities, including nonprofit religious organizations. It removed the civil statute of limitations for many childhood sexual abuse claims and allows treble damages when the entity engaged in concealment of the abuse. An attorney can confirm whether your specific situation falls within the law’s coverage.

What if other members of my church discourage me from reporting or filing a claim?

That pressure, while painful, has no legal effect on your rights. Your right to report to law enforcement and to pursue a civil claim exists independently of what any congregation member, church elder, or family friend says. An attorney can advise you confidentially on your options without any communication with the church.

Easton & Easton’s Commitment to Survivors of Clergy and Religious Institutional Abuse

En Easton & Easton, we are deeply committed to supporting survivors of childhood sexual abuse in cases involving clergy, church staff, and religious institutions. We understand that abuse within a faith community can be particularly isolating, and that survivors often face pressure, both internal and external, to protect the institution over themselves.

Our approach combines compassionate, trauma-informed advocacy with thorough investigation of the institutional failures that allowed the abuse to occur. We recognize that legal accountability is one part of a survivor’s longer journey, and we work to connect clients with therapeutic professionals, victim-support services, and community resources that provide support throughout and beyond the legal process.

Abogado Saúl Wolf tiene una amplia experiencia en el manejo de demandas civiles relacionadas con clergy sexual abuse across a wide range of settings, including the Roman Catholic Church, independent congregations, and faith-based youth organizations throughout Orange County, Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, and across California.

Easton & Easton remains dedicated to helping survivors seek accountability, clarity, and justice while advocating for stronger institutional responsibility within the organizations that serve children and families throughout Southern California.

If you or someone you know may have been affected by abuse within Breakthrough Church or any other religious institution in Southern California, we invite you to póngase en contacto con Easton & Easton para una consulta confidencial. Nuestro equipo está a su disposición para escucharle, responder a sus preguntas y ayudarle a conocer sus opciones.