A preacher has been jailed after he was found guilty of
sexually assaulting an underage congregant multiple times. A judge in Adams
County announced Tuesday that Robert Duane Wyatt, 51, formerly from the Agape
Bible Church in Thornton, Colorado would serve 13 years behind bars for the
crimes that occurred over the course of the past two years.
The child, who was 12 and 13 at the time of the sexual
assault, told police Wyatt first began inappropriately touching her when she
was 12, and just last year, invited her on 'a field trip' which led to a hotel
destination, according to The Denver Post.
'This wasn't a mistake,' said senior deputy district
attorney, Patrick Freeman during court hearing. 'He saw he could manipulate the
victim and her family.'
The child was also said to be enrolled in a home school program under the supervision of Wyatt - who also worked as an education teacher at his residence.
District Judge Don Quick condemned Wyatt's behavior during
Thursday's sentencing, and said: 'You preyed on her emotional and physical
vulnerabilities.
'Over and over again you planned how to groom her so that
you could commit these acts,' he added.
'You took advantage not just of her body but her heart,
telling her that you loved her.'
Wyatt pleaded guilty to sexual assault on a child and attempted first-degree assault in July. He was arrested in September 2016.
Another leader of the church, Rev. Darrell Ferguson, said in a news release at the time: 'We can confirm that Bob Wyatt, a former pastor at our church, was arrested.We are simply going to let the authorities handle it to make sure justice is done.'
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