Former Saddleback Youth Mentor Charged With Lewdness With Children
New accusers came forward while alleged perpetrator awaited retrial.
Ruven Meulenberg, a former volunteer and youth mentor at Saddleback Church, has been charged with five felony acts of lewdness with a child.
Ruven Meulenberg / Photo courtesy of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
These charges are in addition to the three felony charges of molestation for which Meulenberg is facing a retrial.
The accusations stem from interactions from 2016 to 2018.
In 2018, Meulenberg was convicted of molesting two 14-year-old twin boys, but the conviction was overturned because of juror misconduct.
As he awaits a retrial for those charges, other victims have come forward to accuse Meulenberg of lewd acts with them.
One reported that between August 2016 and September 2017, when the victim was just 13 years old, Meulenberg invited him to the movies and dinner. On more than one occasion, Meulenberg molested the boy while in his company, the court documents state.
Then another alleged victim reported that, between June 2017 and June 2018 when he was 14, Meulenberg touched him inappropriately during a car ride home from a church event.
Meulenberg served as a youth mentor and volunteer in the junior high department of Saddleback. The church’s website describes the purpose of the junior high ministry as “help[ing] students become exposed to, experience, and express Christ, His kingdom and the five biblical purposes of his church.”
“Strong mentors are meant to help our children navigate the difficulties of growing up and realize their full potential,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a press statement.
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“Instead of providing the spiritual guidance he pretended to provide, this youth pastor seized on the vulnerabilities of these children for his own sick sexual gratification. He has not only forever shaken their belief in anyone in a position of trust and authority; he has irreparably damaged their faith and the faith of countless other parishioners who believed their children were safe with him and youth pastors everywhere,” Spitzer added.
Meulenberg, age 39 of Lake Forest, California, and his twin brother have been featured on a YouTube channel dedicated to gaming and music production.
If convicted on all charges, Meulenberg could face up to life in prison.
Meulenberg has been released with GPS monitoring while awaiting trial in both criminal cases.
Meulenberg is listed in the Southern Baptist Convention’s list of alleged abusers. Saddleback was a member of the SBC, but has since been kicked out of the denomination for naming a woman to its pastoral team.
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