Update:
We would like to make a clarification and redaction of the wording used in the press release reference the arrest of Vincent Stites.
It was originally stated that Mr. Stites and the victim engaged in a “consensual sexual relationship.” This is an incorrect characterization of the circumstances.
An underage person cannot consent to an illegal sexual act, and this description ignores the practice of grooming to overcome the resistance of victims of sexual assault. In an effort to indicate the difference between a forcible rape and a non-forcible rape, the wrong words were used. This was a poor choice of words for which we apologize.
Original Release:
In September of 2020, The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) received a report of a Sexual Assault on a Child by One in a Position of Trust involving a suspect identified as 49-year-old Vincent Stites, a former Youth Pastor at Friendship Assembly of God Church in Colorado Springs. Mr. Stites is also an owner of HellScream Haunted House/ HellScream Haunts amusement center in Colorado Springs.
The investigation revealed Mr. Stites had engaged in a consensual sexual relationship with an underage female parishioner who had been a member of his youth group in the mid-2000s. Mr. Stites was arrested on 02/24/2021 and charged with one count of Sexual Assault on a Child by One in a Position of Trust.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation, or who may have been a victim of Mr. Stites is asked to call the Colorado Springs Police Department at 719-444-7000, and reference call screen number 20404547 when providing information.