Montco DA Charges Pastor Of Philly Church With Raping Three Minors

BLUE BELL, PA — A local man who serves a church in Philadelphia is being charged with rape and related offenses relating to what Montgomery County prosecutors say was sexual abuse of three different minors including a former parishioner.

Mark Hatcher, 59, of Blue Bell, Montgomery County, has been charged with a total of 14 felonies and 15 misdemeanors in connection with the alleged sexual assaults.

Court records show that Hatcher was arrested on Tuesday by Whitpain Township Police. He was arraigned on Wednesday before Magisterial District Judge Katherine E. McGill.

The docket sheet shows that McGill denied Hatcher bail because she classified him as a "danger to the community."

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for June 2.

The criminal docket sheet shows that Hatcher is being charged with a whole host of counts including, but not limited to, rape by forcible compulsion, statutory sexual assault, indecent assault of a person less than 13 years of age, corruption of minors, endangering the welfare of children and indecent exposure.

A Philadelphia Inquirer story says that Hatcher is the longtime pastor of Holy Ghost Headquarters Revival Center in North Philadelphia, a position he took over decades ago from his father.

According to a police criminal complaint filed by Detective Brad Potter of the Whitpain Township Police Department, the first victim claimed to have been sexually assaulted on multiple occasions by Hatcher when he was 6 years old at Hatcher's Blue Bell residence.

The complaint says that the assaults occurred twice in the summer of 2007 and three times during the following summer.

A second victim claims to have been abused at Hatcher's Blue Bell home when he was 15 years old back in late 2000.

The third victim says that she reported to the Philadelphia Police Department's Special Victims Unit that in late 2006 she went to dinner at a New Jersey restaurant with Hatcher, and that when they were heading back home, they stopped off at a house being renovated in Philadelphia.

The victim, who was 13 years old at the time, claims that she was forcibly raped by Hatcher while the two were inside the home, according to the criminal complaint.

All of the victims are related to Hatcher, according to police.

An attorney does not yet appear to be on file for Hatcher.

Editor's Note: This is a breaking news story. Patch will bring you additional information if and when it becomes available. The allegations contained in this story come from court records and a police criminal complaint. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.