MESA, AZ — A church friend is accused of molesting a girl 18 years ago, spurring other victims to come forward.
Mesa police report that Tuesday they arrested 57-year-old Glenn Anthony Schmitz.
A woman reported to them that Schmitz molested her during the summers of 1999 and 2000 when she was 12-14 years old.
She reportedly told police that Schmitz was a church friend that her family spent a lot of time with, swimming in his pool.
Schmitz is accused of inappropriately touching the girl as he would throw her in the pool.
Memories of these incidents came out because of therapy the victim was receiving.
Police say during their investigation, three other victims who were friends of Schmitz children, described similar incidents where Schmitz groped them.
There was also an investigation into Schmitz in 2002 when he was accused of groping a 14-year-old girl at a church outing at Canyon Lake.
He is being held on a $150,000 cash bond for various sexual related charges, including sexual abuse and child molestation.
If you suspect a child is being abused, the Arizona Department of Child Services has resources available to report the issue to a social worker. You can call the Arizona Child Abuse Hotline at 1-888-SOS-CHILD (1-888-767-2445), and will be asked for information about the child, as well as the nature of your concerns. You can also get more information from DCS about reporting abuse or neglect online.
