Married Youth Director Charged With Raping 16-Y-O Girl: Reportedly Hid Her in a Shack Near His Home
A former youth director from Amplify church in Plum, Pennsylvania is facing multiple charges associated with the rape of a 16-year-old girl he was charged with discipling.
The former leader, 31-year-old Daniel Jack reportedly met the teenage girl at the church where the two spent time together at church functions and fundraising events according to an Action News 4 report.
Jack was fired from his job at Amplify in April shortly after the allegations surfaced. The church is currently cooperating with authorities and believe the 16-year-old was his only victim according to a spokesman for Amplify.
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A criminal complaint highlighted by Action News revealed that Jack began texting the girl in January in an attempt to get closer with her outside church activities. The girl said that Jack who is married created a Google account for them to email each other using fake names and allegedly bought her a second cellphone and downloaded Google's "Hangout" app for video chatting.
The girl visited Jack's house once where he told her he loved her according to the complaint. She continued her relationship with Jack despite feeling awkward after that encounter because she saw him as a father figure. Jack eventually propositioned her for sex and on a separate occasion he forced himself on her, according to police.
The complaint said Jack and the girl had sex about six times with the first time being forced.
"She says she was forcibly raped once and then had consensual sex with her attacker six times after that," Jack's lawyer Robert Mielnicki told Action News 4. "I'm not saying that's impossible. I'm just saying that seems like strange behavior to me."
The girl eventually went missing leaving a suicide note behind prompting her mother to call Kiski Valley state police. Police found her in a wooded area near Jack's house hiding out in a shack.
Jack has been charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, concealment of whereabouts of a child, sexual assault by sports official volunteer or employee of nonprofit association, corruption of minors, criminal use of a communication facility and indecent assault.
He is currently on unpaid leave from his job as an IT professional with the Kiski Area School District.
The Christian Post reached out to Amplify Church in Pennsylvania for comment Friday but a response was not available at the time of publication.
