Boise pastor charged with sexual abuse of a child

A Boise pastor has been charged with sexually abusing a child after prosecutors say he abused a teenage parishioner.

Forty-eight-year-old Bret Welty made his first appearance in court Monday to face sex abuse and lewd conduct charges. He has not yet had the chance to enter a plea, and his defense attorneys say he is no longer serving in the ministry and is not actively involved in a church.

According to court documents, Welty previously worked at Calvary Chapel and the Common Ground Bikers Church, and he is listed as the pastor of Hard Rock Revival Church, which runs out of his home.

Prosecutors say the 15-year-old girl’s parents sent her to stay with Welty and his wife for a weekend of counseling to help her with anxiety issues, and that’s when the alleged sexual abuse occurred.