Las Vegas pastor now facing 40 felony counts in sex abuse case
Another criminal case has been opened against a local pastor accused of sexually abusing girls at his church since at least 2016, adding five more felony counts to a growing list of sexual abuse allegations, the Las Vegas Review-Journal has learned.
As of Monday, court records show, there were three active cases against Bramwell Bernardo Retana, 44. The most recent was opened Wednesday in Las Vegas Justice Court.
Among the three cases, Retana, who was arrested Dec. 20, faces a total of 40 felony counts.
According to the records, the charges include lewdness with a child younger than 14, first-degree kidnapping, child abuse and luring a child with a computer to engage in a sexual act.
Retana continued to be held without bail Monday at the Clark County Detention Center, records show.
The Metropolitan Police Department began investigating Retana last year after a girl told her parents that the pastor of Iglesia Cristiana Oasis De Paz had been sexually abusing her for more than a year.
Retana and his wife, Gabby, founded the church at 2020 Michael Way in March 2004.
Details surrounding the most recent charges were not immediately available, although Metro previously said investigators believed there could be more unidentified victims due to Retana’s position at the church.
It was not clear how many victims investigators had identified as of Monday, but at least four more girls accused Retana of sexual abuse following media reports of his arrest in December. Those accusations were consolidated in the second criminal case against the pastor, filed seven days after news of his arrest surfaced, court records show.
Retana’s attorney, Ryan Helmick, declined to comment Monday on the additional charges.
According to arrest reports released last week for Retana, his wife had known about the alleged abuse since at least May, when she learned that Retana had kissed a girl. And days before her husband’s arrest, she was overheard on the phone with the first girl who came forward, telling her, “Sorry for talking to you that way. I thought you were trying to steal my husband.”
Court records indicate that the woman was not facing any charges as of Monday.
Retana is due in court Tuesday morning for a status hearing in the most recent case, and again on Feb. 3 for preliminary hearings in the other two cases.
Anyone with information about Retana, or anyone who believes he or she may have been a victim of abuse, may contact Metro’s juvenile sexual assault division at 702-828-3421. Anonymous tips may be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.