A former employee of First Baptist Church of Danville has posted bond, and has a court date of February 2nd, as he faces four counts of Criminal Sexual Assault. Information provided by the Vermilion County State’s Attorney’s Office says 48-year-old Robert Lazzell is charged with having sexual contact with someone between the ages of 13 and 18, sometime between September of 2012 and September of 2013.
First Baptist Church of Danville Offered this Statement:
As a ministry, we are extremely saddened when anyone associated with our church or school is accused of breaking the law, even when that person is no longer associated with us. If we would ever learn about allegations involving sexual or other abuse of a child, our organization would immediately remove that individual from any contact with children. We would also always fully cooperate with parents, state officials,
and law enforcement. We believe that if children are safe anywhere, they should be safe at our church and school. In addition to background checks, cameras, and ongoing staff training, we encourage respect between all staff and students as a matter ofcharacter and Christian grace.
Additionally, as a matter of policy, our church and school would immediately report all suspicions of potential child abuse to the appropriate authorities, as we did when this came to our attention. We do not cover-up abuse, and we have zero tolerance for child abuse in our ministry. We carefully interview and screen our employees and volunteers, and our leadership team works to maintain child protection policies based on best practices nationally and under Illinois State law.
We believe that transparency, child safety, and accountability are essential for successful ministry, and we are fully committed to ministering to our church children and youth, as well as to our students, in a safe and responsible manner. With regard to the current matter, we are fully cooperating with law enforcement, and therefore, we will have no further public statements or comments.
