Pastor sexually assaults woman during ‘spiritual revival’ ceremony, Florida cops say

A Florida pastor is accused of sexually assaulting one of his church members after inviting her to his home for a “spiritual revival” ceremony, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.

Pastor Eddy Noelsaint of the Eglise Evangelique De La Restauration church is accused of attacking the same woman twice, the sheriff’s office said in a March 6 news release.

“Pastor Noelsaint lured a female member of his church to his home in Kissimmee by telling her he was going to perform a ‘spiritual revival.’ The promise of the revival was based upon religious norms for her while she was in her home country of Haiti and was part of the practice of her church,” the sheriff’s office reported.

“During the ‘revival,’ Pastor Noelsaint gave the church member tea and unidentified pills. These narcotics made the church member sick and placed her in a weakened state. Once she was feeling the effects, the Pastor sexually battered her.”

Noelsaint approach the woman again “months later” with an offer to help her find an apartment, officials said. He arranged for the two to meet with a third person to help in the search, the sheriff’s office says.

“When she arrived, no one was there except for Pastor Noelsaint. He then violently attacked and sexually battered her,” the sheriff’s office says.

Investigators did not reveal how they learned of the two incidents, but detectives interviewed Noelsaint and found him “evasive to answering questions,” officials said.

Detectives persisted and he “confessed to the prior sexual encounters with the church member,” the sheriff’s office said.

Noelsaint was arrested Feb. 28 on two counts of sexual battery of a person 18 years of age or older, records show. Bond was set at $100,000.

“The Sheriff’s Office asks if anyone else has had similar encounters with Pastor Eddy Noelsaint to contact our office immediately,” the sheriff’s office says. “His church is located at 2160 N. Hiawassee Road, Orlando, Fl 32818.”

This story was originally published March 8, 2023 at 9:03 AM with the headline "Pastor sexually assaults woman during ‘spiritual revival’ ceremony, Florida cops say."