Martic township youth church leader accused of sexual relationship with minor waives hearing

Martic Township youth church leader accused of sexual relationship with minor waives hearing

by
January 10, 2026

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. – A Martic Township man charged with initiating a sexual relationship with an underage girl while serving as a youth leader at a Lancaster County church has waived his preliminary hearing, allowing the case to move to county court.

According to court records, 21-year-old Kelvin Daniel Perez, of the 500 block of Drytown Road, waived his hearing before Judge Joseph Stauffer on December 16. Perez is charged with one count of corruption of minors stemming from alleged conduct that occurred between January and April while he was a youth leader at Victor Church in East Lampeter Township.

Investigators said Perez began communicating with the victim through social media, sending messages that became increasingly personal before arranging meetings outside church events. Police allege he drove to the victim’s Lititz-area home multiple times, convincing her to sneak out to meet him and later enter her home while her parents were away to engage in sexual acts.

Perez was charged by Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Officer Matthew Hinkle and is free on $10,000 unsecured bail. As a condition of release, he is prohibited from having unsupervised contact with minors. Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Ponessa is prosecuting the case.

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