Montgomery County church teacher charged with sexually abusing multiple minors
Pastor asks congregation to speak up after teacher charged with sex abuse
A Maryland man is in jail after police say he sexually assaulted young children at a church in Derwood. Police believe there could be additional victims, and the pastor of the church is now asking his congregation to come forward if they were harmed. FOX 5's Nana-Sentuo Bonsu has the story.
GERMANTOWN, Md. - A Germantown man has been charged with sexually abusing minors at the church where he worked as a teacher, and police believe there may be additional victims.
Ervin Jeovany Alfaro Lopez, 33, was arrested on Monday, March 11, following an investigation by the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID).
The investigation began in May 2023 after a victim reported being sexually abused by a teacher at a church in the 15700 block of Crabbs Branch Way in Derwood.
Following the initial complaint, three more victims came forward in September 2023 and January 2024 to report that they had been sexually abused by Alfaro Lopez at the same church. All the offenses occurred between 2016 and 2018.
In March 2024, detectives applied for an arrest warrant charging Alfaro Lopez with multiple offenses, including sex abuse of a minor, second-degree sex offense and third-degree sex offense.
The victims were between the ages of 6 and 12 years old at the time of the offenses, and Alfaro Lopez was 25 to 27 years old.
Ervin Jeovany Alfaro Lopez, 33, of Germantown, Maryland. Photo via Montgomery County Department of Police
Alfaro Lopez is being held without bond at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit.
Detectives are concerned that there may be more victims who have not contacted police. They’re asking anyone who suffered abuse by Alfaro Lopez to call detectives at 240-773-5400.