PARK COUNTY – A former Park County ministry leader accused of sexual assault on a child failed to appear for a motions hearing Monday morning in a Park County court.
58-year-old Torin Smith is accused of sexually assaulting several children over the course of about five years. He was one of the leaders of Praise Mountain Ministries near Florissant. The attacks he is accused of possibly took place between 2008 and 2013.
A heavily redacted court document obtained by News 5 detailed a pattern of abuse that, according to at least one victim, gradually became more intense over time. One victim is quoted as telling detectives, “He made me fearful of telling anyone.”
Smith is facing four charges of Sex Assault on a Child while in a Position of Trust and other charges. He will now be held on a $250, 000 cash only bond and he will likely forfeit the $50,000 cash bond he was out on.
Court documents also showed that Smith’s wife Rena sent several emails to one of the accusers, asking that they retract their statement to law enforcement officers for the sake of the family and the ministry. She is not facing any charges of sexual assault, however, she was charged with accessory to a crime, intimidating, and tampering with a witness. She is due in court tomorrow, 1/15 for sentencing.
Both Torin and Rena were said to run a home school group for children at the ministry. When News 5 called the ministry, the person who answered the phone said Torin never had any affiliation with them.
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