Greg Welter – Chico Enterprise-Record
CHICO ? A former youth minister who also founded a nationally known youth organization called CampusWave Ministries has been charged with five counts of performing lewd acts on a child.
The charges came more than a year after Chico police began an investigation into Richard James Manley, 42, of Paradise.
Manley”s arraignment is scheduled for June 7.
District Attorney Mike Ramsey said there are far more victims than indicated by the five counts, but noted many of those contacted by investigators said they wanted to remain anonymous, or not participate in the case for other reasons.
All of Manley”s alleged victims are boys, either 14 or 15 years old when they were reportedly molested, Ramsey stated. The oldest is now 27.
All of the incidents resulting in charges took place between 1993 and 1998, Ramsey said.
Manley was a youth minister for several years at the former Pleasant Valley Assembly of God church in Chico. He later founded and became president of CampusWave Ministries, an organization that maintained an elaborate Web site and promoted retreats, Christian conferences and other events, primarily involving followers ages 13 to 32.
Although Manley reportedly hasn”t been associated with a church in the Chico area for several years, he continued to operate CampusWave until recently.
A popular interactive Web site for the organization suddenly went offline about two weeks ago, close to the time Manley learned charges would be filed against him. The site doesn”t indicate when it may return.
Manley used a large trailer as the headquarters for CampusWave, and reportedly parked it at a couple of Chico churches.
Ramsey said two of the molestations Manley is charged with committing took place inside the trailer. The other three allegedly took place at his home in Paradise.
Chico police Sgt. Rob Merrifield said the evidence was solid, but he said the statute of limitations may have run out on all or most of the alleged violations.
Ramsey said three of the counts can now move forward under a state law passed just last year. The fourth and fifth charges are being included under two older laws, one of which has been tested in court.
The case was also aided, Ramsey said, by allegations Manley had “substantial sexual contact” with the victims.
The statute of limitations on most sex crimes, even involving children, was formerly three years.
Manley”s attorney, Dennis Hoptowit, said he”s confident of fully defending Manley against the charges, which he called “stale and remote.” He said it”s always difficult to ask witnesses, victims and defendants to testify accurately about events that occurred so many years ago.
Manley”s involvement with CampusWave brought him considerable notoriety in the Christian press.
In an article appearing last year in Charisma Magazine, Manley was quoted concerning a three-month CampusWave motor home trip across the United States to promote what was called a “spiritual revolution.” Manley told a Charisma writer: “For too long the church has become its own subculture, afraid of today”s counterculture movement and irrelevant to a world that we have been called to love.”
(The Chico Enterprise-Record is a member of the MediaNews Group News Service.)
