A former Greeley pastor has been arrested on child sexual assault charges for engaging in an intimate relationship with an underage girl 20 years his junior.

Nison Yovani Lemus-Alvarez, 37, formerly the congregation leader of La Iglesia De Restoration Church, 3080 29th St., is charged with one count each of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust and sexual assault on a child with a pattern of abuse, both felonies. The charges stem from an inappropriate relationship Lemus-Alvarez allegedly had with an underage member of his congregation who also volunteered for the church.

An investigation into Lemus-Alvarez first began in October 2017 when the victim, then 16 years old, told her mother she had been kissing her pastor and the two had been exchanging late night text messages for months. Lemus-Alvarez, a married man with children, told the victim he had fallen in love with her, according to court records.

But the victim refused to cooperate with officers when her mother made the allegations a police matter. The investigation was suspended in November 2017.

The victim later changed her mind and the case was re-opened in April. Apparently, the rumor mill had started to spin and, in an effort to protect his reputation, Lemus-Alvarez began bad-mouthing the victim to certain members of the congregation, records stated.

Now cooperative, the victim told police about sexual encounters with Lemus-Alvarez between July and August 2017, which included several trips to Estes Park, where the two engaged in foreplay and other sexual activities in his car that did not include intercourse.

When confronted by the victim’s family and the church’s head pastor, David Lopez of Houston, Lemus-Alvarez admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with the underage girl. He has since been removed as a pastor at La Iglesia De Restoration.

Lemus-Alvarez was arrested July 9 at his home in the 700 block of 19th Avenue and remains in custody at Weld County Jail on $75,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear at 1 p.m. Aug. 2 for a disposition hearing in Weld District Court.

— Joe Moylan covers crime and public safety for The Greeley Tribune. Reach him at jmoylan@greeleytribune.com, (970) 392-4467 or on Twitter @JoeMoylan.