Former Youth Pastor Arrested for Child Molestation

Written by Estero Bay News

April 7, 2023

An Oregon man and former youth pastor in San Luis Obispo County has been arrested on suspicion of child molestation, the Sheriff’s Department said.

Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Cipolla said back in September 2022, the department received a report about alleged child molestation that had occurred at a Nipomo church between 2005 and 2008. 

“The investigation,” Sheriff’s spokesman Toy Cipolla said, “revealed the suspect Jeffrey York, who at that time was a Youth Pastor at New Beginnings Community Church in Nipomo, had contact with a male victim and had sexually assaulted him for years.”

Over the next few months, detectives’ investigation led to an arrest warrant being issued for York, who had since moved to Portland. Ore. But they didn’t have to fly to Portland to make an arrest, as serendipity intervened.

“Detectives,” Cipolla said, “were in the process of apprehending York in Oregon when on March 27, during routine patrol, South Station deputies located a vehicle registered to Jeffrey York out of Portland, Ore., parked in the 600 block of El Camino Real in Arroyo Grande.”

Deputies notified detectives on the case that York was in Arroyo Grande and Cipolla said he was arrested and booked into County Jail on two counts of oral copulation by duress; two counts of lewd acts with a child under-14 with force; and other various charges. Bail was set at $400,000 and York remained in custody as of March 31, according to the County Jail’s “Who’s in custody” webpage.

Cipolla asked anyone with additional information about this case or who knows of other potential victims to contact the Sheriff’s Detective Division at 805-781-4500.

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