UNION — The Knox County district attorney’s office dismissed criminal charges last week against a 36-year-old Union man who had been accused of sexually assaulting a child.
The dismissal, filed July 20 in the Knox County court, states that the charges against Raymond K. Chang were dismissed in the “interest of justice.” Chang is a pastor and works at a Sweetser crisis unit. He was placed on administrative leave from Sweetser after his arrest in late May.
District Attorney Natasha Irving declined Monday, July 24 to expand on the reasons that led her to drop the charges. She had no comment when asked whether the alleged victim was in agreement with the decision.
Chang was arrested in May by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office on a warrant charging him with felony unlawful sexual contact and misdemeanor unlawful sexual touching.
The affidavit filed in the court by the Sheriff’s Office at the time of his arrest stated that the victim said Chang had been kicked out of his last church and started a new one in Rockport called “Resurrection Church.”
The affidavit stated that the victim reported being sexually assaulted by Chang multiple times from when she was 12 to 14 years old. The initial criminal complaint filed by the district attorney’s office lists two counts in 2019.
The affidavit quotes the victim as saying that she reported the sexual abuse to a family member and in response the family got together with members of the former church (which is not named in the affidavit) and she was told she needed to apologize and that both needed to forgive each other.
The victim reported the matter to police in early April and the Sheriff’s Office began its investigation.
The Sheriff’s Office contacted Chang by telephone on April 27 and he referred Detective Justin Twitchell to his attorney. Chang said he did not have a contact number for the lawyer, and hung up. The man’s attorney Adam Sherman of Lewiston then called the detective back moments later, according to the affidavit.
An email was sent Monday afternoon July 24 to his attorney asking for comment on the dismissal. There was no immediate response.
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