Early last month, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it was made aware of allegations of misconduct by a church youth group leader, Gregory Norton.
Norton, 58, was accused of sexually molesting a teen that he met through functions at Oak Hill Church: Church of the Nazarene, according to JSO. The incident reportedly happened years earlier at the Westside church located on Old Middleburg Road.
On Saturday, Norton was arrested and is accused of eight counts of sexual battery.
JSO said during its investigation, which included multiple interviews, an alleged second victim was also identified.
Norton was working at Westside Baptist but left the church after allegations surfaced.
In a statement, Westside Baptist said it is cooperating fully with the police investigation.
“Westside is fully committed to ministering in a safe and responsible manner to all our children and youth. We have strong zero-tolerance policies with regard to any form of child molestation or neglect,” the church said in a statement. “Our church will have no further comments regarding this matter, which we believe is being adequately handled by law enforcement.”
Oak Hill Church was not immediately available for comment.
Anyone having any additional information in relation to the reported crimes is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at 904-630-0500 or JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org.
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