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Arlington pastor Troyce Hernandez, who was charged with sexual misconduct with a child in January was arrested and charged for another sexual assault by Irving police on Tuesday.
Accordion to jail records, Hernandez, 50, is charged with sexual assault, a second-degree felony. When reached by phone on Wednesday, an employee at the Irving jail confirmed that is in custody and awaiting transfer to Dallas County where he will be arraigned and have bail set.
A staff member for the Irving Weekly online publication who says they had read our report on Hernandez’s January arrest informed us of Hernandez’s arrest and have reported on the charges, although the Observer can not verify the accuracy of the report.
The Irving Weekly reports that the affidavit states that a woman came forward in March to report that Hernandez had raped her multiple times when she was an 18-year-old living with the pastor and his family in 2010. When asked for Hernandez’s arrest warrant, the Irving jail employee and a records employee directed the Observer to file an open records request.
The January charge stems from an alleged incident where the accuser says Hernandez “became erect” while touching her back while watching a movie in his home. When asked about the accusation, prior to his arrest, Hernandez told police he did not recall the incident but did not deny that it happened.
This latest arrest continues an alarming string of arrests and controversies involving church staff from North Texas congregations of all sizes. Former Gateway Church pastor Robert Morris was recently released from an Oklahoma prison after serving six months of a suspended 10-year sentence for sexually abusing a 12-year-old Cindy Clemishire in the 1980s.
Hernandez had served as lead pastor for True Grace Church in Arlington since 2014, but his name was absent from the church’s website following his January arrest, although some pictures of him remain. Following his January arrest, the church’s social media accounts showed Hernandez active in the church as recently as January 18. Attempts to reach church staff by phone and email to find out if Hernandez is still employed by the church on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
