Aldine pastor convicted of sexual abuse

Houston Star Telegraph/July 29, 2005

Houston - A longtime pastor of a Pentecostal church in Aldine has been convicted of sexually abusing a teenage girl in his congregation 10 years ago.

The Rev. Curtis Bass of the International Pentecostal Church was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison on two charges of indecency with a child.

A woman, now 26, testified that he touched her breasts when she was 16 years old in 1994.

"God is still in control," Bass, 53, said to dozens of church members seated in the courtroom after his sentencing.

Defense witnesses described Bass as a longtime youth minister known for encouraging teens to participate in the church, which has about 100 members.

"It's sickening, from someone who supposedly does the Lord's work," Assistant District Attorney Robert Freyer told jurors Thursday.

Three women have lodged sexual abuse complaints against Bass, said deputy investigator Russell Ackley of the Harris County Sheriff's Department.

In one of those cases a grand jury in 2000 found insufficient evidence to indict Bass.

No charges were filed in another case.

Bass testified Wednesday and adamantly denied molesting the girl, but offered no reason for the repeated allegations.