Eddy Noelsaint, a Florida pastor who was accused of drugging and raping a married parishioner after promising her a “spiritual revival” in his home, has been found guilty of four counts of sexual battery.
Noelsaint, 54, was serving as the senior pastor of the Evangelical Church of Restoration in Orlando when he reportedly confessed to taking advantage of his parishioner twice in 2022, according to a press release from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
“This verdict represents justice for a survivor who showed tremendous courage in coming forward and trusting the criminal justice system,” State Attorney Monique Worrell said in a statement after the trial last Wednesday. “This conviction ensures that a sexual predator has been held accountable for his crimes.”
During the first rape that allegedly occurred on July 15, 2022, the parishioner was at Noelsaint’s house in Kissimmee to undergo a “spiritual revival,” which is a common practice in her home country of Haiti. An affidavit cited by Fox 35 said Noelsaint’s wife had previously been assigned as the woman’s spiritual grandmother during her baptism at Noelsaint’s church.
At around 7 p.m. that day, however, Noelsaint’s wife left the home for work. The pastor instructed the woman to take a shower after that, and while she was in the shower, he walked into the bathroom and asked for sex, which she declined, Fox 35 previously reported.
He later made her green tea and the parishioner reported feeling ill after she drank it. When she complained further about not feeling well, the pastor gave her pills, which gave her a headache and made her feel sleepy. When her heart started racing, she asked her pastor to call 911, the news outlet added.
Instead of getting her emergency help, Noelsaint allegedly took the woman to another room in his home and “sexually battered her,” police said. He also allegedly took the woman’s wedding ring and threw it away after claiming that it contained bad spirits.
The woman alleges that she was raped by the pastor a second time in November 2022 when she went to his house thinking she would be meeting with his wife to search for apartments, according to Fox 35.
“Months later, the pastor persuaded the church member to meet with him and a friend to look for apartments. When she arrived, no one was there except for Pastor Noelsaint. He then violently attacked and sexually battered her,” the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said in its report. “The Sheriff’s Office asks if anyone else has had similar encounters with Pastor Eddy Noelsaint to contact our office immediately.”
According to the Evangelical Church of Restoration, INC’s website, the church encourages “the vibrant worship of God.”
“We empower people to focus their lives on Jesus Christ and commit them to the service of Christ,” the church says.
Noelsaint is scheduled to be sentenced in September.
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