Bellingham man who preached at local church charged with child molestation
A Bellingham man who preached at Spring Creek Bible Church was charged with molesting a child on Monday in Whatcom County Superior Court.
Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deb Slater said deputies responded to a sex crime involving a minor in Whatcom County on May 28. They interviewed Antonio Carlos Segar, 68, about the crime on Sunday and found probable cause to arrest him.
Segar identified himself as a part-time pastor at the church on his LinkedIn, which was deleted Tuesday morning. He delivered sermons and taught classes at the church as recently as April 12, according to online recordings viewed on Monday. On Tuesday morning, all recordings of sermons and classes by Segar had been removed from online.
The church administrator told The Herald that Segar does not currently work at the church. When asked whether he worked at the church in the past, the administrator declined to comment.
Slater said this case was unrelated to the church.
Segar pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree child molestation on Monday evening. During his appearance, he said unprompted that he has been a member of the church for 19 years.
The commissioner set Segar’s bail at $100,000 and implemented a sexual assault no-contact order to protect the victim. As of Tuesday morning, Segar remains in custody at the Whatcom County Jail.
First-degree child molestation is a class A felony. If convicted, Segar faces up to life in prison.