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Church teacher accused of molesting 5-year-old
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Terry Greenwood COURTESY MARICOPA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
A Sunday school teacher at a Chandler church has been arrested on suspicion of molesting a child in his care.
Terry Greenwood, 62, of Chandler is accused of forcing a 5-year-old girl to perform oral sex on him last month, according to a police report released Monday.
Under questioning by detectives, Greenwood admitted he sexually assaulted the girl twice at Chandler United Methodist Church, 251 W. Chandler Blvd., police said.
Greenwood was taken into custody on Dec. 21, the report said. He was booked into jail on suspicion of four counts of child molestation, one count of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of indecent exposure.
According to police reports, he also confessed to abortive attempts at inappropriately touching two friends of his 11-year-old daughter and two other Sunday school students, and to looking at child pornography on the Internet.
Police said they are investigating if there are more victims, and have already received one report of another incident. Also, a laptop computer was seized as evidence from Greenwood’s home.
The alleged victim’s mother, who also teaches at the church, told police that Greenwood has been assisting her since September, but his family have been members there for at least seven years.
Phone messages left at the church and the pastor’s home Monday night were not returned.
According to the report, it was on Dec. 19 when the girl told her mother that Greenwood unzipped his pants and made her perform oral sex in a classroom.
The next day, during an interview at the Child Abuse Assessment Center in Phoenix, the girl restated her claim and said it had happened more than once.
With police assistance, the mother called Greenwood on Dec. 21 and passed along her daughter’s allegation. Greenwood first denied any of this was true, but then admitted to making a mistake and said he was ashamed. However, he said he only exposed himself to the girl on Dec. 9 and 16, the report said.
Greenwood explained his actions as the result of medication for high blood pressure, erectile dysfunction and mental problems, the report said.
Soon after the call, Greenwood was arrested and within an hour, was under questioning. It was then that he admitted to twice molesting the girl, police said.
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