HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014 08-13 Maplewood church member charged with child molestation MAPLEWOOD REVIEW Maplewood
church member
charged
with child
molestation
AUG 1 3 Z014
James Xang Vang,21,of St. Paul has
been charged with first- and second-
degree counts of criminal sexual contact
for allegedly molesting a 6-year-old girl
during a two-year period between June
2012 and his arrest on July 29.
Since his arrest, the criminal com-
plaint said he has admitted to inappro-
priately touching more than 25 young
girls at the Hmong Alliance Church in
Maplewood,where he is a member.
The report said Vang was at a male
friend's home on Geranium Avenue in
St. Paul on July 29 when the friend's
sister and her daughter returned to the
home.
"Immediately, my mind — my mind
just went towards the little girl, and
then I just lost control of myself like I
usually and always do," he reportedly
told police.
Vang allegedly followed the girl upstairs
into a bedroom, where he told her to
remove her clothes. He then reportedly
took a photograph of her butt.
The girl's mother told police that she
confronted Vang after she saw the girl exit
the room while she was pulling up her
shorts and underwear,and then saw Vang
walk out behind her.
"I have a demon inside that makes me
do these things,"Vang told the victim's
mother,according to the complaint.
The victim's mother yelled at yang
before spraying him in the face with pep-
per spray.He fled the home,and she called
police.
Officers arrested Vang a few hours later.
Vang reportedly said he started fondling
girls at the Hmong Alliance Church after
he moved to the area in Octol;er 2011.He
estimates that he groped the buttocks of
over 25 girls and the vaginas of four.
In June,Vang attended a retreat with
other adult leaders from the church,
where he said that he"told them"about
his desire to touch little girls and his sex-
ual contact with the 6-year-old victim.
According to Vang,the retreat was made
up of single adults and no pastor was pres-
ent.His access to the girls at the church
was not restricted after the retreat,he told
investigators.
Church leaders were made aware of
Yang's actions by Maplewood police on
July 31,according to a statement on the
church's website. -
"We will inform our leaders and take
the necessary measures to ensure the
safety of the children in our church,"the
statement says.
The investigation is ongoing. The
Ramsey County attorney's office is ask-
ing any additional potential victims of
the defendant to contact their local law
enforcement agency.
—Kaglin Creason