East Bay minister charged with 23 counts of child sex abuse

Fernando Maldonado, a 32-year-old Concord resident, was charged Monday with 12 counts of lewd acts on a minor, 10 counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and one count of sodomy of a minor. Fernando Maldonado, a 32-year-old Concord resident, was charged Monday with 12 counts of lewd acts on a minor, 10 counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and one count of sodomy of a minor. Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close East Bay minister charged with 23 counts of child sex abuse 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

An East Bay minister has been charged with 23 counts of sexually abusing a teenage parishioner over a three-year period.

The Contra Costa County district attorney’s office charged Fernando Maldonado, a 32-year-old Concord resident, on Monday with 12 counts of lewd acts with a minor, 10 counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and one count of sodomy of a minor.

The alleged abuse occurred from September 2012 to mid-2015 and involved one victim at the two churches in which Maldonado presided as a minister, said Sgt. Dave Mathers, a detective in the Martinez Police Department. The churches were Morello Avenue Baptist Church in Martinez and the Grace Bible Church of Pleasant Hill, where church leaders and congregants, including the alleged victim, moved after the church in Martinez closed, Mathers said.

Authorities have been conducting interviews to determine whether there were additional victims, said Paul Graves, deputy district attorney of Contra Costa County and the prosecutor for the case.

Maldonado, who has been removed from active ministry at Grace Bible Church and suspended indefinitely, is being held at the Martinez Detention Facility on $9,065,000 bail, according to jail records. He is scheduled to return to court May 10 for further arraignment and to enter a plea, Graves said.

“We at Grace Bible Church regard the safety of our youth as among the highest of priorities, and we will continue to cooperate with the investigation when called upon to do so,” church authorities said in a statement.

Detectives began their investigation April 18 after the victim, identified only as Jane Doe, reported the allegations to Martinez police, Mathers said. Officers arrested Maldonado on his way to the church Thursday morning.

Mathers encouraged others with information to contact the police, emphasizing that undocumented individuals wouldn’t face repercussions for doing so.

“My understanding is many parishioners were Spanish speaking,” he said. “I don’t want anyone coming forward to be afraid of actions immigration-wise. We’d rather know and be able to get them services.”

Anyone with information can contact detectives at (925) 372-2453.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov