Santa Ana pastor pleads ‘not guilty’ of meeting minor for sex in Brea

A volunteer pastor from Santa Ana suspected of attempting to arrange a sexual encounter with someone posing as a teenage girl remained behind bars Friday afternoon following his arrest over the weekend in Brea.

Elmer Pineda-Molina was arrested Sunday afternoon on the 800 block of East Birch Street and was booked on suspicion of contacting and meeting a minor for sexual purposes, Brea Police Lt. Chris Harvey said.

He was charged Tuesday with one misdemeanor count of arranging to meet a minor for lewd purposes and has pleaded not guilty, according to court records. He is being represented by a deputy public defender and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 9.

Pineda-Molina was identified as a volunteer pastor at Iglesia Ministerios Betesda in Santa Ana, according to a statement issued by the church on Monday.

“We take this with full commitment and complete seriousness,” Ronald Vides, senior pastor of Ministerios Betesda, wrote in the statement in both Spanish and English. “We encourage our church family to lift this situation and all involved and affected by this up in prayer. We also pray for the authorities as they continue their investigation.”

Pineda-Molina served at Iglesia Ministerios Betesda for six years before resigning from his duties about a month and a half ago, Vides said during a brief interview Wednesday. The volunteer pastor told members of the church he was dealing with family issues and caring for his ailing mother-in-law at the time, Vidas said.

Vides was not aware of any complaints ever made regarding Pineda-Molina, whom he described as a respected member of the church community. He was awarded a plaque recognizing his work for the congregation over the years on Sunday, just hours before he was arrested by Brea police, Vides said.

“He is our brother,” Vides said. “We can’t turn our back on him, but he has to pay for whatever he has done. We don’t want to hide.”

The events leading up to Pineda-Molina’s arrest were live-streamed by CC Unit, an independent group that identifies and confronts potential child predators.

A representative from the organization told the Daily Pilot they gathered and turned over evidence to police. Harvey declined to comment on whether police relied on potential evidence from the group.

Pineda-Molina was taken into custody without incident. He is being held at the Theo Lacy Facility, Harvey said.

Vides has encouraged any members of his congregation to come forward if they are aware of any potential wrongdoing by Pineda-Molina. He added that he is praying for the former volunteer pastor.

“We all hide some things in our lives,” Vides said. “But if you don’t work on these things, they will catch you.”

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