Christopher Bryan McKenzie Sr., 48, Sunday school teacher & pool cleaner at Rock Harbor Church, Costa Mesa, California, "suspicion of child molestation" Orange County Register: Sunday school teacher arrested on suspicion of child molestation (Dec 1 2012) Christopher Bryan McKenzie Sr., 48, a pool cleaner and Sunday school teacher at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa, was arrested Friday on suspicion of lewd acts with a child, officials said. Newport Beach police said two Newport Beach men reported last week that they were involved in sexual relationships with McKenzie starting at ages 8 and 16. The first relationship began in the late 1990s and ended in 2005; the second began in 2005 and ended in 2007, said police spokeswoman Kathy Lowe. Tags:
The Republic: Sunday school teacher at Orange County church arrested on suspicion of lewd acts with a child (Dec 2 2012) The Orange County Register reports two Newport Beach men told police they were involved in sexual relationships with Christopher Bryan McKenzie starting at ages 8 and 16. The 48-year-old McKenzie taught Sunday school at the non-denominational Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa. Neither of the victims are affiliated with the church.
Orange County Register: Church copes with abuse claims against Sunday school teacher (Dec 2 2012) [Pastor Todd] Proctor sent an email to most church members Saturday explaining the allegations against McKenzie. "First and foremost, you need to know that neither of the alleged victims are part of the Rock Harbor community, nor is there evidence of any further misconduct ever taking place within any Rock Harbor gathering," Proctor wrote in the email. "We hold the safety of our families in the highest regard and we want to remind everyone of the extensive measures we employ to ensure the protection of all our classrooms, volunteers and, especially, our children." RockHarbor volunteers, such as McKenzie, are never allowed to be alone with children, and no male volunteers are allowed to accompany children to restrooms. All volunteers in the family ministries must pass a background check and pass a search of registered sex offenders as listed on the Megan's Law website, in addition to other measures, according to the RockHarbor website.
Orange County Weekly: Sunday School Volunteer Arrested for Lewd Acts on Children (Dec 3 2012) A press release from the Orange County District Attorney's Office says McKenzie will face arraignment this afternoon and is being charged with 10 felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14. He is currently being held in lieu of $1 million bail.
KTLA: O.C. Sunday School Teacher Accused of Sex with Boys (Dec 3 2012) A Costa Mesa man has been arrested on charges of having inappropriate sexual relationships with young boys that spanned more than a decade. Christopher Bryan McKenzie, 48, was booked into an Orange County jail on Friday on charges of lewd and lascivious acts with a child. McKenzie, a pool cleaner who works across Orange County, is accused of sexually abusing at least two male victims between the ages of eight and 16 over a period of many years.
MSNBC: Church copes with abuse claims against Sunday school teacher (Dec 3 2012) "The reality is that Chris was a well-known and committed volunteer, and many of our staff, volunteers, families, and children have interacted with him," Proctor wrote in the email. "Situations such as this one require us to enter into difficult conversations with our children about the evils of this world and the fallen nature of man." Rock Harbor will be holding an information session at 7 p.m. Monday to provide parents with support in these discussions with their children. "This will be a night to equip our parents in what questions to ask and how to spiritually lead their kids and families through this difficult time," Proctor wrote.
Redding: Sunday school teacher accused of molestation (Dec 3 2012) A volunteer Sunday school teacher at an Orange County Christian church has been arrested on suspicion of lewd acts with a child. The Orange County Register reports two Newport Beach men told police they were involved in sexual relationships with Christopher Bryan McKenzie starting at ages 8 and 16. The 48-year-old McKenzie taught Sunday school at the non-denominational Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa. Neither of the victims are affiliated with the church.
Orange County Register: Church volunteer accused of sexual relations with minors (Dec 3 2012) The families of two minors who attend church at Rock Harbor in Costa Mesa filed complaints with Newport Beach police Monday against a Sunday school volunteer at the church. Christopher Bryan McKenzie, 48, a volunteer who has assisted in the fifth-grade classroom since 2007, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of having years-long sexual relationships with two boys starting when they were 8 and 16. Children of the two families came forward Monday to file the reports against McKenzie, who, according to the complaints, had sexual contact with one of the minors and distributed pornography through the other.
Daily Pilot: D.A. alleges pool cleaner had 2 more victims (Dec 3 2012) A Costa Mesa pool cleaner accused by Newport Beach police of molesting two boys allegedly had inappropriate sexual contact with a third victim and distributed pornography through a fourth, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday. One victim may have been abused as recently as January ... McKenzie, however, allegedly had a third victim younger than 14 with whom he made sexual contact, according to the charges prosecutors filed Monday in Orange County Superior Court. That alleged abuse, including an instance at a pool, occurred at least five times between Jan. 9, 2010, and Jan. 8, 2012. McKenzie also used a fourth minor to distribute obscene material between Nov. 8, 2009, and Nov. 7, 2011, court documents allege. No other details about that charge were available.
Orange County Register: Rock Harbor congregants 'shocked and betrayed' by abuse allegations (Dec 4 2012) Jeff Gideon, communications director for the church, said the congregation feels "shocked and betrayed." "Our whole community is just dealing with this betrayal and searching for answers at this point," he said. "We are just flabbergasted by the fact that this happened in spite of all the policies and procedures we had put in place to ensure the safety and security of our families."
CBS Local Los Angeles: Volunteer Sunday School Teacher Accused Of Lewd Acts With A Child (Dec 4 2012) Christopher Bryan McKenzie, Sr. is a resident of Costa Mesa and a pool cleaner by trade. McKenzie was arrested Friday after police said two adult male victims came forward to say he had sexual relationships with them from the 90s through 2007. The men said they ranged in age from 8 to 16 at the time of the inappropriate relationships. Police said based on their investigation, a no-bail arrest warrant was issued for McKenzie.
NBC Local Los Angeles: Orange County Sunday School Teacher Accused of Molestation (Dec 4 2012) Hours after a volunteer Sunday school teacher appeared in court on charges he molested four boys, members of RockHarbor Church gathered Monday night to discuss the path forward. About 60 people attended the meeting, which was not open to the media ... The alleged molestation of some of the boys began when they were 8 years old and some were older, Herrera said. Authorities did not reveal where the alleged molestations occurred or his relationship to the boys, though Herrera said the “majority of the conduct was in Newport Beach.”
Daily Pilot: Sunday school teacher accused of sex crimes (Dec 5 2012) A Sunday school volunteer [Christopher Bryan McKenzie] at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa allegedly formed relationships with boys in his congregation and went on to sexually abuse at least one of them multiple times between November 2009 and November 2011, according to a criminal complaint and interviews with church leaders ... In total, McKenzie is accused of inappropriate interaction with four boys, including substantial sexual contact on multiple occasions with three of them. He allegedly involved all of them in the production or distribution of obscene material.
