CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – A former worship leader at a Clay County church was accused of having unlawful sexual activity with a teen who attended the church.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said the three-month investigation into the allegations against Jeremiah Grover, 32, began in June.
Grover worked as a worship leader at Elevate Life Church in Oakleaf Plantation. Investigators said the alleged criminal sexual activities involved a 16-year-old church member.
CCSO said Grover traveled to meet the teen in Clay and Duval counties to engage in criminal sexual conduct.
Grover was arrested Thursday for unlawful sexual activity with a minor, traveling to meet a minor, lewd and lascivious touching, and transmission of harmful material to minors.
The church said it reported the alleged crimes to law enforcement and released the following statement:
Recently, we learned that a former member of our staff has been arrested because of possible inappropriate conduct involving a minor. When we first learned of this inappropriate behavior, some months ago, we looked into the matter and within hours determined to terminate his employment.
We notified CPS and the local police, and obviously, they have been, and continue to, investigate the situation.
While we do not want to speculate on this legal matter, we have been, and will continue to, proactively cooperate with local law enforcement, and pray that truth will be revealed, and justice served.
Previously, we had never received any prior complaints or had past concerns regarding this former employee’s behavior.
We are heartbroken that a trusted staff member violated our church’s policies, procedures, and code of conduct. Our heart breaks for any person who is a victim of such abuse.
Any allegation of any kind of abuse or misconduct is always taken seriously and handled earnestly by the leadership of Elevate Life Church.
Elevate Life has made it a top priority to not only provide spiritual care but also provide safe environments for anyone attending our services or events. Our precautionary measures include background checks, volunteer vetting processes, employment screenings, safety training, and various security measures to help minimize any potential misconduct.
Elevate Life Church
News4AX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney, a former Director of Investigations and Homeland Security at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, praised the church for quickly notifying authorities after learning about allegations of criminal sexual behavior involving an employee.
“It’s how you hope that if these horrible things happen to somebody, that a church or somebody in a position of authority makes that right call, doesn’t try to sweep it under the rug, and doesn’t try to handle it themselves. These are crimes that need to be investigated, and the suspects of these crimes need to be held accountable. The allegations against this person are so serious that they would need to be brought to justice for,” Hackney said.
Hackney also said it’s not surprising that the church immediately fired Grover within hours of hearing about the allegations.
“It’s usually when an allegation is made, immediately they want to separate employment and separate themselves from that alleged suspect,” Hackney said.
Investigators believe this is an isolated incident and do not believe other victims exist.
Grover is in jail on a $325,000 bond.
If you have any further information about this case, call 904-264-6512 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.