MONMOUTH COUNTY – A former church leader in Red Bank has been arrested and charged with a series of sexual crimes involving a teenage girl who attended his congregation, authorities announced Monday.
Enrique Molina, 50, is facing 16 criminal charges, including two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, multiple counts of second-degree child endangerment and sexual assault, as well as third- and fourth-degree charges related to criminal sexual contact and hindering apprehension.
The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office says Molina first met the victim through Iglesia Pentecostal Nuevo Remanente, a church he led that was formerly located on Monmouth Street. Investigators believe the abuse began around seven years ago when the victim was just 14, and continued across four different Monmouth County towns over a span of more than three years.
The Red Bank Police Department initiated the investigation after receiving a report, and detectives from Eatontown, Neptune Township, Ocean Township, and the Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Bureau worked jointly on the case.
Molina was taken into custody without incident last week and is being held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution. His initial court appearances will take place in Monmouth County Superior Court.
Officials have released a photo of Molina and are asking anyone with further information to contact MCPO Detective Jason Apaza at 800-533-7443, Eatontown Detective Jorge Gonzalez at 732-389-7628, or Ocean Township Detective Michael Legg at 732-531-1800.
The case is being handled by Assistant Prosecutor Danielle Zanzuccki, who leads the office’s Special Victims Bureau. Molina is represented by Freehold attorney Thomas Carver.
Authorities stress that charges are accusations, and Molina is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
