Former Youth Pastor Pleads Guilty to Sex Charges

By Kimberly Lenz Thursday, February 11, 2010

Former Seaford Baptist Church Youth Pastor Jeremy “Jack” Ryan Duffer pleaded guilty Thursday to sex charges involving two teen-age girls.

Duffer’s trial was to have begun Thursday afternoon in York-Poquoson Circuit Court, but the 41-year-old entered guilty pleas to nine different charges - one of an indecent act with a child and eight aggravated sexual battery - involving two victims. He had been indicted on a total of 18 felony charges, but the plea agreement included nine of those charges being dropped by the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.

Before accepting the plea, Judge William C. Andrews III told Duffer he faces up to 165 years in prison. The sentence, Andrews said, is a judicial decision alone, not bound to any discussions that may have gone on between the prosecution and defense.

Sentencing is set for May 13.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Barbara Cooke described the case against Duffer, which began with an allegation of a single encounter in York County between July 24 and August 8, 2009.

York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Investigators arrested Duffer on Aug. 13 on single charges of taking indecent liberties with a child and contributing to the delinquency of a child. Duffer was held at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail, until being released on $20,000 bond.

Conditions of the bond included that Duffer have no unsupervised contact with minor children and, while pending trial, not to maintain a residence with any minor children present.

Duffer was arrested again Aug. 21, this time on additional charges related to a second teen. Those charges - of aggravated sexual battery-  concerned incidents that began in February 2008. Bond was revoked, and Duffer has been held at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail since.

Duffer joined Seaford Baptist in January 2007 as its youth minister, leading a busy program. Transitional Pastor Gene Cornett said Duffer was suspended Aug. 12, when church leaders learned of the investigation, and instructed to have no further contact with the congregation’s youth. Duffer was formally terminated Sept. 6, 2009.