JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former local youth pastor has been arrested and charged with sexual battery on a minor.
The graphic police report details the alleged grooming of a female church member over six years.
42-year-old Joshua Trent is the man accused.
Action News Jax interviewed Trent in 2020 after he raised concerns about a video shown in Duval Schools he argued normalized the sending of nude photos.
“Theist thing I want is a child in this district to think sending photos of themselves inappropriately is the right thing to do,” Trent said in the interview.
But the former youth pastor is now accused of grooming and sexually battering an underage female victim who was a member of one of the churches he previously worked at.
Hillcrest Baptist Church confirmed Trent worked there from 2016 through 2018 and told us it is cooperating with the investigation.
“We are committed to supporting those involved with compassion, care, and respect for their privacy,” said a church spokesperson in an emailed statement.
The police report details a progression of inappropriate touching, starting with hugs and escalating to sexual intercourse with the victim.
Criminal Defense Attorney Chris Carson argued it’s an all too familiar story.
“Unfortunately, we do see a lot of these types of allegations arising in the context of church with a pastor, teachers, athletic coaches,” said Carson.
Some of the incidents allegedly occurred in church parking lots and even in the office of ChurchTrac, a church technology company Trent worked at from 2012 through 2021.
The allegations came to light when the alleged victim called an anonymous tip hotline in January of this year, four years after she last had contact with Trent.
Carson explained that the gap of time between the alleged crimes and the reporting of those incidents is also not uncommon.
“Sometimes children are just not as open with these things,” said Carson. ”They’re embarrassed or ashamed.”
Trent’s arrest report indicates he was also investigated for alleged possession of child sexual abuse material in 2021, but no charges were ultimately filed.
The police report suggested Trent could have faced more charges for incidents that allegedly occurred after the victim turned 18, but the statute of limitations had expired.
“However, typically with serious offenses, particularly those committed against children, the statute of limitations is much broader and, in many cases, nonexistent,” said Carson.
Trent posted a $400,000 bond and was released from the Duval County Jail last Wednesday.
He is due back in court on May 5th.
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