Police in Delaware arrested the pastor of a Philadelphia congregation last week for allegedly raping and sexually assaulting a teenage male over the course of several years.
New Castle County police arrested the Rev. Harry Benson, 40, at his home in Newark, Del., March 24, where he lives with his wife and four adopted children. Benson was the pastor of the Eastwick United Methodist Church, on Lindbergh Boulevard in Southwest Philadelphia.
The arrest came after a guidance counselor at a Delaware high school contacted police to report that an 18-year-old male student had disclosed years of sexual contact between himself and Benson.
Benson is charged with first-degree rape, continuous sexual abuse of a child, 12 counts of first-degree unlawful sexual contact and sexual solicitation of a child.
Lt. Patrick Crowell of the Newark Police did not disclose where the teen attended school or how he came into contact with Benson, but said the abuse was ongoing.
“The abuse started when the victim was 12 and occurred over the course of several years,” Crowell said.
Bishop Peggy Johnson, who heads the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church, said in a statement last week that Benson had been suspended from pastoral duties effective immediately.
“As a church, we take any allegations of abuse very seriously,” Johnson said. “We especially grieve whenever a youth or child is victimized by a trusted adult.”
Benson is currently being held at Howard Young Prison after failing to post $126,000 bail.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].