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Former Youth Pastor Facing Child Sex Crimes Charges After Admitting to Similar Charges

"These types of crimes are often committed by someone the survivor knows and trusts," Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan counseling program director Angie Linesman said.

A former youth pastor who already admitted to child sex crimes in Charlevoix County was in court again for similar crimes in Emmet County.

9 & 10 News had the only camera in court as Benoni Enciso was arraigned on several charges for recording girls as they undressed when they stayed with him.

In Boyne City in February, a girl found an iPhone recording her in the bathroom when she visited her former youth pastor, and turned it into police.

Enciso pleaded guilty to those five child sex crime charges and is set to be sentenced next week in Charlevoix.

9 & 10’s Blayke Roznowski and photojournalist Noah Jurik have details on the new charges Wednesday.

Wednesday in the Emmet County courtroom Judge James Erhart arraigned Benoni Enciso, also known as Jon, on more than 20 different child sex crime charges that includes both possessing and producing child sexually abusive material and using a computer to do so.

The court documents paint a disturbing picture. 

"The Charlevoix County Sheriff’s Office came across some other videos that they knew it didn’t happen in Charlevoix," Emmet County Sheriff Pete Wallin said.

That evidence was turned over to Emmet County in March.

They determined Enciso recorded four videos and made close to 150 images of four girls undressing at a Bay View home he was renting between July and September 2015.

"Apparently he was a friend and trusted and was familiar with the family," Sheriff Wallin said. "It’s a serious violation and it was an invasion of privacy for both the victims and the families themselves."  

Court documents say the former youth coordinator of the Stutsmanville Chapel admitted to hiding an iPhone, taking video and enhancing the images for sexual purposes.

The Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan says it’s important to know all survivors of these types of crimes react in different ways.

"Friends and families can really help their loved one who has experienced a violent crime by being there for them and showing their support while that survivor makes a lot of really big decisions," Linesman said. 

"Very disturbing for us and families themselves," Sheriff Wallin said. "You don’t expect this to happen with a person you trust." 

Enciso is scheduled to be back in court in two weeks. 

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