Crime & Safety
Pastor From Murrieta Pleads Guilty to Rape of Choir Girl
He faces three years for the statutory rape of a 16-year-old girl he met at a Temecula church and for a similar case in San Bernardino County.
A former pastor of a Temecula church pleaded guilty today of raping a teenaged choir girl .
Joseph Jermaine Spencer, 26, who was the choir director of admitted to unlawful intercourse with a minor more than three years younger that him and penetrating her with a foreign object, according to court records.
He faces three years in prison for this crime and a similar one stemming from an incident in San Bernardino County, according to John Hall, a spokesperson for the District Attorney's office.
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To read about both crimes, .
Spencer originally pleaded not guilty, but withdrew his plead as part of a bargain, according to attorneys. He would have faced nine years in prison were he found guilty on all charges, Hall said.
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To read about the plea deal, .
He was scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 4, according to court records.
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