A 55-year-old “ex-gay” pastor in
Cambridge, Minnesota has been arrested and charged with sexually
molesting two men.
Police arrested Ryan Jay Muehlhauser on
Sunday night and later charged him with eight felony counts of
criminal sexual conduct.
Muehlhauser allegedly assaulted the men
in the course of “curing” them of their unwanted sexual
attractions to men.
One of the victims, referred to only as
ABC, went to police on Friday.
He said the met Muehlhauser two years
ago at an event hosted by Outpost Ministries, a religiously
affiliated group which claims gay people can – and should – alter
their sexual orientation.
The counseling sessions, ABC told
investigators, included Muehlhauser “blessing” him by gently
cupping the victim's genitals in his hands. The victim was also
asked to masturbate while Muehlhauser prayed over him. Muehlhauser
called this “spiritual guidance.”
“You have a defendant who spends a
significant amount of time working with and grooming victims, these
are often cases that take place over a period of months and years.
They don't happen in a vacuum,” Isanti
County Attorney Jeffrey Edblad said.
A second victim made similar
allegations.
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