New Haven pastor facing sex assault charges

Walter Williams Walter Williams Photo: Photo Courtesy New Haven Police Photo: Photo Courtesy New Haven Police Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close New Haven pastor facing sex assault charges 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

NEW HAVEN >> A local pastor is facing charges after police say he sexually assaulted a minor who was a member of his church and choir.

Walter Williams, 59, of Skylark Drive, Northford, is accused of having as many as six sexual encounters with the minor between July 2015 and April 2016, police said. He was arrested Monday and charged with five counts of second-degree sexual assault, one count of fourth-degree sexual assault and three counts of risk of injury to a minor.

The victim’s mother contacted police after she came across text messages between her daughter and Williams on her daughter’s phone, police said.

Special Victims Unit Detective Matthew Abbate spoke with the victim, who described six different encounters in detail, according to a release from the police department.

One encounter happened the day before a relative’s birthday party at Williams’ home in Northford, police said. Another happened a month or so later, when the victim says Williams summoned her to his office at the Walk of Faith Church of Christ on Fairmont Avenue in New Haven. At least two of the incidents took place at the church, police said.

Williams also had the victim accompany him on a rent collection errand at one of his vacant residential properties, where another alleged assault occurred, police said.

In June, the victim’s mother told Abbate that she saw a graphically disturbing Facebook message from Williams to her daughter. She said she was so upset she couldn’t continue reading it and questioned her daughter when she returned home, police said. The victim was forthcoming and spoke about her relationship with Williams, according to police.

When Williams was interviewed by police on July 7, he admitted to “five or six” sexual encounters with the victim, anything from touching to intercourse, according to the release. The encounters he described generally matched those described by the victim, police said.

Transcripts of Facebook messages between Williams and the victim were recorded into evidence.

Williams was held in lieu of $250,000 bail until his arraignment Tuesday morning, police said.