James Ritter, of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Spokane found guilty on all counts

[Ian David]

SPOKANE -- A former pastor who stood accused of having sex with underage girls was convicted on all eight counts in a Spokane court Thursday.

James Ritter worked at the Holy Cross Lutheran Church where parents warned church leaders that Ritter was engaging in inappropriate conduct with teenagers from his youth group.

Detectives say James Ritter used his web cam to groom his alleged victims, sending sexually charged messages but avoiding the face to face contact that might have alarmed the teenage girls, convincing at least one of the teenagers to expose herself over a webcam.

His actions weren’t restricted to the internet, however, as Ritter had sex with one of the teens a half dozen times, including a tryst on church property.


James Ritter arrives in court to face charges that he acted inappropriately as a former pastor, taking advantage of youth group meetings and webcam chats in an attempt to have sex with teenage girls.

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