MESQUITE, Texas — A Mesquite youth pastor was arrested on multiple child-related sex crimes last week as police continue to seek more victims in the case.
MESQUITE, Texas — A Mesquite youth pastor was arrested on multiple child-related sex crimes last week as police continue to seek more victims in the case.
On April 4, 2022, the Mesquite Police Department received a report of a delayed sexual assault of a child.
"The investigation of the offense revealed that Conner “Jesse” Penny, a 32-year-old resident of Mesquite, had sexual contact with a female under the age of 17 years of age on multiple occasions between 2015 and 2018," read a statement from the Mesquite Police Department.
Penny was arrested on April 5, 2022, and charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child, victim under 14.
Following his arrest, police say additional victims made outcries of abuse by Penny occurring between 2013 and 2021. Arrest warrants were obtained on charges for indecency with a child sexual contact and aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Arrest warrant affidavits filed in the case identify some of the victims as young as five years old.
At the time of his arrest, Penny was employed as the Youth Pastor at the Inspiration Church, formerly known as Mimosa Lane Baptist Church, in Mesquite. Penny’s previous employers included the Mesquite Independent School District and the City of Mesquite where he worked as a Teacher’s Aide and a counselor through the Recreational After School Program (RASP).
Police are asking anyone with information on the ongoing investigation or who may have been a victim of abuse to contact the Mesquite Police Department at (972) 285-6336 ext. 0 or Detective Christopherson at lchristo@mesquitepolice.org.
Penny is being held in the Dallas County Jail on bonds totaling $2.5 million.