An Odessa church pastor has been charged after it was reported he inappropriately touched multiple members of his congregation including a 15-year-old girl.
Donald Hetherington, 80, was charged Wednesday with two counts of indecency with a child, each a second-degree felony.
The indecency was reported to Odessa Police Department on Oct. 11, 2018, an OPD affidavit stated. The affidavit didn’t disclose the name of the church and OPD spokesperson Cpl. Steve LeSueur refused to release the name of the church and said the Odessa American would need to submit a Freedom of Information request.
The 15-year-old reported Hetherington had been touching her inappropriately for several months. She stated the inappropriate touching started in 2017 when he would grab her buttocks and that he grabbed her buttocks more times than she could count. She also stated he progressed to touching her vagina over her clothes, the affidavit detailed.
The 15-year-old reported Hetherington touched her vagina a few times but the last time she told her father about the incident and she hasn’t seen Hetherington since, the affidavit stated.
In 2012, an elderly woman, a member of Hetherington’s congregation, reported that he touched her vagina and forced her to touch his penis when he came to visit her in the hospital. The case was closed due to lack of evidence and no witnesses, the affidavit detailed.
Another member of Hetherington’s congregation reported that he intentionally grabbed her breast three times before she left the church.
Hetherington was charged, arrested and transported to the Ector County Law Enforcement Center. He had two bonds totaling $100,000 and bonded out on Thursday, jail records show.
