By Brian C. Louwers
C & G Staff Writer

WARREN — A court hearing for the leader of a Baptist church and school, jailed last month on allegations that he sexually assaulted a male teen and accosted two minors for immoral purposes, has again been delayed.

Christopher Scott Settlemoir of Warren, 26, appeared before Judge Matthew Sabaugh in the 37th District Court on July 22, when attorneys agreed to delay the matter for nearly a month while they examine a “voluminous” amount of evidence in the case.

Settlemoir, a pastor at the Antioch Baptist Church on Dequindre, south of 13 Mile Road, where he also served as the principal of the church’s school, was arraigned on June 14 on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, a felony punishable by up to life in prison, and two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, a 15-year-felony. Investigators said those charges stemmed from the alleged sexual assault of a male teen that took place between Feb. 1 and June 4 of this year.

Prosecutors later filed additional charges against Settlemoir after two more alleged victims reportedly came forward. Settlemoir now also faces two charges of accosting a child for immoral purposes, each a four-year felony, related to those allegations. The additional charges stem from incidents that allegedly occurred between Sept. 1, 2009, and April 30 of this year.

Settlemoir conferred briefly with his attorney, Stephen Rabaut, before the latest adjournment, and about two dozen people, some members of the church, sat in the courtroom as attorneys addressed the judge.

Afterward, the Antioch Baptist Church’s current pastor, George Crabb, said attendance remained good for worship at the church and that it had been “very favorable.”

“Just very concerned, that’s all,” Crabb said when asked to describe the mood of his congregation about the allegations leveled against Settlemoir.

Immediately after Settlemoir’s arrest on June 11, the church posted a statement on its website indicating that he had been placed on paid administrative leave and relieved of all pastoral responsibilities.

Warren police reportedly seized two laptop computers during their initial investigation that began on June 9 after a mother came forward with allegations that Settlemoir had sexually assaulted her son. The information reportedly included alleged text messages exchanged between Settlemoir and the teen.

Warren Police Detective Ken Marsee, the officer in charge of the case, said the computers were still being examined, but no further evidence had been obtained from them. Marsee said no more alleged victims had been identified, apart from the two minors who contacted police following Settlemoir’s arrest, prompting the added charges.

Assistant Macomb County Prosecutor Molly Zappitell said she’s confident in the evidence currently in the possession of prosecutors.

“A lot of the victim’s statements are corroborated by additional evidence that we’ve been able to retrieve through forensic evaluation of computers and cell phones,” Zappitell said.

Settlemoir is scheduled to be back in court for a preliminary examination at 2 p.m. on Aug. 17.