Church Elder Accused Of Sexually Abusing A Child; Newport Beach Pastor Speaks Out

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — The pastor of an Orange County church Thursday released a statement to his congregation regarding an elder who was charged this week with sexually assaulting a girl for over 10 years in Irvine.

According to John Hahne, senior pastor of Redeemer Church of Orange County, 42-year-old Michael Robert Maxwell was removed from his position within the church after the charges were released.

Maxwell was charged Tuesday with 18 felony counts of sexual assault involving the girl starting in 2011 and continuing through 2018, according to court records.

Maxwell did not enter a plea at his arraignment in the jail courtroom in Santa Ana on Tuesday and is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 12 in the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach.

"Given Michael's position and relationships in the church, we are concerned about the possibility of other victims," Hahn wrote in a letter to his congregation. "The alleged abuse did not take place at a Redeemer Presbyterian Church worship service nor at any other ministry or event associated with our church. With that said, as is always the case, if any person has information related to the potential abuse of a child, please reach out to law enforcement."

"As a church, we are committed to supporting victims of abuse and to holding anyone who abuses a child accountable," he continued.

Hahne said in the letter that he met with Maxwell to discuss the charges.

"I have met with Michael and confronted him with the allegation of serious and longstanding sexual abuse of a minor," Hahne wrote. "Michael did not admit guilt in a legal sense. With that said, he did not deny the veracity of these reports and said enough to make clear that the allegations against him are credible. Further, I and other credible people have received information that makes me and the session believe the actions taken by the police are justified."

Hahne said Maxwell "has been removed from the office of elder. He will no longer be acting in any ministry or leadership capacity on behalf of our church. Michael has also been suspended from participating in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. You will not see Michael in church again" without prior notification from me, Hahne said, adding that the defendant's family would continue attending the church.

"Like you, they are in a state of shock and grief," Hahne said. "Their lives have been turned upside-down in a way that they could not have imagined possible."

Church officials have hired Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, or GRACE, an organization that "specializes in assisting churches in dealing with abuse, Hahne said.

The organization will audit the church to look for anything in its policies or practices that can be improved to spot abusers, Hahne said.

Maxwell "has been a friend, a spiritual mentor and a Sunday School teacher for many of us," Hahne said. "His duplicity is egregious. It is very difficult to know how to feel when we hear a report like this about someone so near to us."

The church will hold a town hall meeting Sunday after its regular service to discuss the issue, Hahne said.

The victim, now a teen, came forward to authorities this month, said Kyle Oldoerp of the Irvine Police Department.

Police asked for the public's help with more information about the defendant. Anyone with relevant information was asked to contact Detective Vincent Vasquez at vvasquez@cityofirvine.org.

City News Service contributed to this report.