CFC pastor: Convicted offender not allowed access

The lead minister at an Owatonna church has denied allowing a convicted sex offender access to children at the Edina church he oversees.

Rev. Timothy Peterson responded to an email seeking comment about the alleged activities at the Christian Family churches in both cities.

After a former youth minister at the Owatonna site was charged with multiple counts of felony criminal sexual conduct, several former members of both churches came forward with allegations of other inappropriate behavior and activity.

The court case against Laverne Daniel Zacharias, 46, of Medford, carries one count each of first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct, as well as two counts each of third- and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

He was also a teacher and principal at El Shaddai Christian School, which was affiliated with Christian Family Church. According to the criminal complaint, the abuse occurred from 2006-2009, when the victim was a student at the school; she was about 14 when the touching began.

It allegedly continued after she became an adult.

Zacharias has not entered a plea in the case.

A woman who attended Tim and Cherrie Peterson’s church in Edina said the couple allowed a convicted sex offender to be around children – and did not let parents know of the man’s criminal past.

The charges

She said Phillip Lee Holmer “popped into the nursery” one Sunday at the church; she thought she recognized him from somewhere, and did some digging.

Though all legal documentation gives his name as Phillip Lee Holmer, he was using “Lee” as his first name at the church, the woman said.

According to court records obtained by the Steele County Times from Deschutes County, Ore., in 2014 Holmer was charged with, and pleaded guilty to, two counts of attempted first-degree sexual abuse – one count for each victim.

The indictment describes the girls as under the age of 14, with an aggravating factor of the victims being “vulnerable.”

Holmer was ordered to serve 60 days in jail, complete sex offender evaluation and treatment, was placed on probation for five years and ordered to register as a sex offender, among other conditions.

He was released from probation in May 2019, about five months early, due to a medical condition, a court official in Deschutes County said.

Holmer, by then 65, moved back to Minnesota shortly after that.

The woman who first recognized him also learned of his criminal past, and asked the Petersons for an explanation of why Holmer was allowed to be around children. He had been attending the church for several weeks by then.

They did not speak with her, she said, but their son, Trey Peterson, told those who questioned the situation that they “would be surprised at how much of that (criminal case) information is inaccurate,” according to screen shots of text messages.

Petersons’ response

In their email response to questions about what they knew about Holmer – and when – the Petersons called the question “defamatory.”

“First of all, the person of whom you are referring is NOT Phillip Holmer,” Tim Peterson wrote. “Lee Phillip Holmer is the person who was convicted in Oregon.”

According to all court documentation, that is inaccurate.

Peterson said the story using Holmer’s legal name “caused your readers to believe that (Holmer’s son) was the person with the felony conviction, which I suspect caused (the son) and his family a great deal of harm and distress.”

Neither Holmer nor his son were ever employed by the Edina church, Peterson said, though the son “served in many capacities of our church ministry, including the nursery.

“Lee Holmer NEVER served in our nursery,” Peterson wrote.

“We did become aware of Lee Holmer’s felony conviction in Oregon,” he continued. “Because of that, Lee was removed from attending CFC after he returned to Minnesota from Oregon.”

But not immediately, the former members at Edina said.

In fact, according to text messages, Trey Peterson thanked them for “believing the best (about Holmer) until your questions can be answered.”

“This is not a situation where a ‘whole story’ is actually needed,” another former member responded in the text. “Nothing can justify the risk that was actually done. You … had the ability to protect your kids if you saw him around your children. Unfortunately, we did not.”

Church safety

Peterson said the church does background checks on any potential children’s workers and other areas of the ministry. It also requires background checks for persons in the ministry and anyone who works with children.

In response to a question about mandatory reporter training, he wrote:

“Our department heads have all been trained that concerns of any significance must be brought forth to church leadership. We are educated on mandatory reporting requirements, including the fact that any suspicion or allegations of child abuse or sexual misconduct of minors must be reported to authorities.

“We endeavor to follow all mandatory reporting rules,” Peterson said.

When asked what he believed other church members should be told when accusations and allegations are brought forward, Peterson wrote:

“Because every situation is different, what we can and should share with the congregation differs. We have always, and always will, take protecting our congregation from predators of any sort seriously, especially when it comes to sexual misconduct against minors.”

Next week: The Petersons respond to claims they knew of the alleged sexual abuse of a minor occurring in Owatonna, specifically, the case against Zacharias.