One man investigators say used his position in a church to hire young girls as interns and then suggested they be charged with criminal solicitation against a minor, officials at the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office say.
Kenneth Tyler Hostin, 33, was arrested by the Sheriff’s Department on August 19 after a teenage boy told a camp counselor that he asked her for nude photos, undressed and masturbated in front of him, according to an NBC 5 arrest warrant.
Hostin, officials said in the court document, worked for Epic, a company hired to provide audio / video services to several churches in the area. In these churches, the investigators said, the hostess used his position to contact young women and hire them on the pretext of being interns. He would then solicit sexual acts from these young women, investigators said.
Investigators said they spoke to three women who at one point worked for Hostin and all of them reported inappropriate behavior and were suggested.
The girl, who contacted a camp counselor in June about her experience, said she started working as an intern for hostess that month and that this was arranged through her church, Compass Church.
NBC 5 News / Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office
Kenneth Tyler Hostin, 33, will face indictment of indicting a minor in August 2021.
She told the detectives that almost immediately after starting working with the hostess, he started making inappropriate comments. On the second day of her internship, she accompanied him to another church campus, where they received “strange looks” which, according to court records, he attributed to a “misunderstanding with a young girl”.
The girl told investigators that on her second day at work, he asked her about her sexual history and preferences.
She said it wasn’t long before Hostess asked her to play Truth or Dare and that he challenged her to take nude photos, strip naked, masturbate and allow him to put ice in her pants. She told investigators that she turned down all challenges but put the ice in her own pants while she “tried to negotiate her way out of the sexual conversation”. She said that it was “extremely uncomfortable” when she put the ice in her pants and that Hostess was less than 12 inches away looking down her pants.
About two weeks after starting her job with the host, the girl attended a church camp in mid-June, where she asked another girl who had previously worked for the host if he had ever slapped her. She said the girl said no, but her response to the question told her that maybe it wasn’t.
The girl then told the camp counselors about her experiences with the hostess.
The girl’s father told investigators during an interview in July that someone at Compass Church told him that another girl had previously accused hostess of improper contact, but that they would not confirm her identity.
In July, Pastor Nate Grella of Compass Church told investigators that he had spoken to her mother, who happened to work in the church, rather than speaking directly to the other accuser. Grella said the girl’s mother confirmed that not only had something happened to her daughter, but that the hostess allegedly made sexual comments about her as well.
Second woman interviewed
The mother of one of the possible victims who worked in the church told investigators that Hostin had previously been dismissed from the church for improper contact with a young parishioner, but that he was allowed to return after the girl attended college.
Investigators turned to the girl who told them in an interview that she was returning from boarding school at the age of 18 and volunteering for the church in the audio / video sector.
She said she had previously been a victim of sexual abuse and went through a phase where she cut herself. She said that the host knew this and used this information to manipulate her. She said host challenged her to play the truth or dare to be over text and challenged her to send him a nude photo. She said she got around it by sending a picture of her feet. She said he asked her about her shaving habits and at least once when she was 18 he asked if he could come over and bring alcohol to a place where she sat at home.
She said after he asked her to send a nude photo, she told church officials, who said they were not surprised by his behavior.
According to the warrant, the woman showed investigators text messages from April 2016, allegedly sent by the hostess, in which he talked about masturbation and her lack of interest in playing truth or dare with him. Police said the other photos of text messages shared with police “showed a pattern of manipulative care”.
Third woman interviewed
The girl, whose mother worked for the church, was interviewed by detectives in late July and said that hostess regularly asked her about her relationship with her boyfriend and sex life during her internship. She told investigators that he once took her phone and read a text thread on a sensitive situation in her life. After that, the girl said, he proposed to her every day for about five months. She said he would put money on his desk and ask how much it costs to have sex. She said he hit her on numerous occasions and once asked to see her panties while she was wearing a skirt. She said they had to travel for work and that she would keep the hotel rooms as far apart as possible because he kept making suggestions. She said he threatened her with details of the personal matter if she reported his behavior.
According to the arrest warrant, the third woman interviewed by detectives is the same girl who was asked in the church camp if the hostess had ever slapped her. She said she denied this because she feared he would use her personal information against her if she spoke up.
The girl spoke to her again later in the camp, this time when she was sitting at a table with camp counselors. The girl told the counselors that her boss hostess was inappropriate and, through truth or dare, asked her for sexual favors. She said that upon hearing this detail, her “heart fell” because she knew the girl was suffering from the same solicitation and harassment that she was dealing with. She again denied the hostess slapped her on the buttocks again for fear that her personal information would be released, but later said she told church officials her story when she discovered that the camp counselors were not taking the girl’s allegations seriously .
Investigators turn to suspects
The Tarrant County Sheriff’s deputies reached out to Hostin on August 12 and asked him to come for an interview the next day. He agreed to the interview, the sheriff’s office said, but canceled on the day of the appointment on the advice of his lawyer.
An arrest warrant was issued for Hostin on August 18 and, according to the sheriff’s office, he was arrested the next day. He is not on the current Tarrant County Jail listing and is believed to have been released on bail.
Pastor Grella informed police on July 14th that Hostin had been banned from all Compass Church campuses and that his employer had been notified.
Additional information on Hostin can be directed to the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, Detective M. Weber, at 817-884-1305.
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