LAUDERHILL, FLA. (WSVN) - A self-proclaimed pastor has been accused of molesting a 13-year-old girl in Lauderhill dozens of times.
Lauderhill Police arrested 40-year-old Ricardo Strachan, Thursday.
According to an arrest affidavit, Strachan stands accused of victimizing a 13-year-old girl multiple times in 2016.
At Strachan’s bond hearing on Thursday, Broward Circuit Judge Kim Theresa Mollica ordered him to refrain from contacting the victim.
“All right, so this is what the court is going to do: no victim contact, direct or indirect, with the alleged victim or the victim’s families,” she said.
Investigators said some of the instances took place in the Dillard High School parking lot in Fort Lauderdale during school hours.
The school district said they were unaware this happened, but they and the district’s Special Investigation Unit will cooperate with law enforcement on their investigation.
Police said Strachan threatened the young girl with Voodoo and told her his wife was a police officer and had access to a gun.
Strachan’s arrest report states, “The victim reported that the subject practiced Voodoo, had her steal property belonging to her own family to provide to the subject in an effort to perform rituals.”
The affidavit also states Strachan was introduced to the victim by her stepfather, who is also accused of molesting the girl up to 65 times, between December 2015 and December 2016. The stepfather was arrested on Saturday.
One of the incidents allegedly occurred in the girl’s bedroom while her grandmother was present.
During Thursday’s bond hearing, Mollica also ordered Strachan to stay away from any minors.
According to police, Strachan is a self-proclaimed pastor with no affiliation to any particular church in Lauderhill.
Strachan’s Facebook holds photos showing him leading services at a hotel in Dania Beach, where he called his congregation Kingdom Worshippers International Church.
A video posted to YouTube in 2010 shows the suspect preaching during a prayer service.
Police said at some point, he was preaching from a storefront church at a strip mall in Lauderhill. However, that location is now vacant.
Strachan has posted bail and is expected to be released at some point on Friday. Upon his release, he will have to wear a GPS monitor.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.