LAKEPORT ? A 23-year-old Kelseyville man pleaded guilty to sexual battery Friday for forcing oral sex on a 14-year-old girl in the church youth group he led.
Christopher Puryear faces up to five years in state prison for the charge along with his admission of a prior felony conviction.
Deputy district attorney Ed Borg dropped the other charges against Puryear, including forced oral copulation, intimidating a witness and an unrelated misdemeanor charge of domestic violence.
On Nov. 25, Puryear asked the teenager to talk with him outside a Gateway Ministries church function where he made sexual advances and only stopped when interrupted by someone exiting the church.
A church elder and another youth group leader reported to the Lake County Sheriff”s Office Dec. 18 that Puryear “had been spending inordinate amount of time talking with and texting teenage girls involved in the youth group,” Capt. Jim Bauman of LCSO said.
Sheriff”s officers then interviewed the victim who identified Puryear as the suspect, Bauman said.
Deputies found Puryear Dec. 19 at the church where the offense took place and arrested him, Bauman said. Puryear originally pleaded not guilty to the charges Dec. 28.
Puryear had served time in the past for carrying a concealed weapon and domestic violence, which could add to his sentence in the sexual battery case.
Judge Richard Martin accepted the plea and admission and allowed the dismissal of the other charges.
Borg said all of the charges against Puryear would have had a maximum of 10 years in prison. The 14-year-old victim was interested in an early resolution in the case, Borg said. The girl did not have to take the witness stand in court for the case.
Borg looked over the “reasonably strong” evidence, spoke with the victim and Puryear”s defense attorney, Stephen Carter, and decided to make an offer, he said.
“It seemed like an appropriate offer,” Borg said. “The victim was OK with it.”
Puryear will return to court 9 a.m. March 5 for sentencing.
Gateway Ministries on Big Valley Road in Finley was formerly known as Big Valley Community Church.
Contact Katy Sweeny at ksweeny@record-bee.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
