A Jersey City pastor who resigned in June has been charged with sexually assaulting two children while he was working as a youth pastor at an embattled Colorado church over two decades ago.
Robert Anthony “Tony” Langston, 60, who served as lead pastor at Tapestry Church in Jersey City, is accused of assaulting two members of Landmark Tabernacle in Denver. At least one incident occurred in 1998, and both victims were under the age of 15.
Langston, of Jersey City, was arrested in Denver on July 23 and charged with sexual assault on a child as part of a pattern of abuse by one in a position of trust and criminal attempt to commit sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, court records show.
Langston is accused of molesting a 14-year-old member of Landmark Tabernacle–Denver as part of a pattern of abuse that started in Denver and continued after he left the church. The victim, who had an abusive situation at home, was groomed by Langston, according to Carolyn Hoyt, a close friend of the victim and a former member of Landmark Tabernacle–Denver. The victim accompanied Langston and his wife as they evangelized across the U.S. and eventually settled in Jersey City, Hoyt said.
The victim, whose name was redacted in court documents, told investigators he was initially molested in Langston’s home after the youth pastor “took a liking” to him and started acting as his mentor, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The victim continued to be “groped and assaulted” by the pastor after following him to New Jersey, the affidavit states. There, Langston founded Tapestry Church with his wife 22 years ago.
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office did not return a request from NJ Advance Media for comment about whether Langston has ever been investigated by the prosecutor’s office.
Hoyt told NJ Advance Media the victim was “very scared” to report the abuse because “the church is very anti-homosexuality.”
The second victim, whose name was also redacted in court documents, told investigators that Langston touched him inappropriately during a conversation in the pastor’s office at Landmark Tabernacle–Denver, according to the affidavit. Langston allegedly “appeared to prefer boys in the church who had absent fathers or were raised by their grandparents,” the affidavit states.
Landmark Tabernacle–Denver did not return a request from NJ Advance Media for comment.
Langston announced on June 29 — about a month before he was charged in Denver — his plans to resign from his role at Tapestry Church in Jersey City and retire from ministry.
In his address, which was posted on Facebook by SexualAbuse.org, Langston said he planned to continue to stay involved in the Jersey City church, which would become a division of Freedom Church.
However, Freedom Church, which declined to comment on the charges against Langston, said it is a “new ministry” that does not involve Langston.
“My Freedom Church, Inc. understands that the allegations against Robert Langston, former pastor of Tapestry Church, concern his association with a church in Colorado,” the church said in a statement to NJ Advance Media. “Therefore, it would be inappropriate for My Freedom Church, Inc. to comment or speculate on any legal matters occurring in another state, involving another church, and involving an individual not affiliated with My Freedom Church, Inc.”
According to the affidavit, a former pastor at Landmark Tabernacle–Denver told investigators that he knew about the abuse in 1998 but didn’t report it.
One of the victims told investigators that the former pastor allegedly gave Langston “time to gracefully leave the church” but told him that he could no longer serve as a youth pastor there, it was stated in the affidavit.
Hoyt said the families of the victims were told at the time not to contact the police and that the church would handle it internally. “They wanted to help Tony through the process [of redemption],” Hoyt said.
In 2005, Langston was charged by the 9th District Court in Montgomery County, Texas with second-degree indecency with a child sexual contact. However, the charge was later dismissed, online court records show.
Langston’s preliminary hearing in Denver was scheduled for Aug. 11, according to court documents. A mandatory protection order states he must stay at least 100 yards away from the victims and anyone under the age of 18.
Other members of Landmark Tabernacle-Denver have faced similar charges to Langston. Jesse Klockenbrink was convicted on charges of attempted sexual assault and child abuse, state records show. He is now a registered sex offender in Colorado.
The attorney representing Langston could not be reached for comment.
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Rebecca Heath may be reached at [email protected].
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