East Meadow church choir director charged in sexual abuse of 14-year-old girl, police say
A Westbury man is charged in the sexual abuse of a girl, Nassau police said. Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto/kali9
A choir director at an East Meadow church was arrested on charges of molesting a girl who is a member of the congregation in January, the Nassau County Police Department said.
Selvin Bonilla Navarrete, 43, of Westbury, is the choir director at the Iglesia Pentecostal Jesús Es Luz church on East Meadow Avenue, police said in a Saturday news release.
Navarrete allegedly drove the 14-year-old girl to a parking lot less than 500 feet from the church during a choir break on Jan. 4. There, detectives allege Navarrete "inappropriately touched the victim" while she was in his car.
Bonilla Navarrete was charged with third-degree endangering the welfare of a child and third-degree sexual abuse.
He pleaded not guilty at an arraignment in First District Court in Hempstead on Saturday. Judge Norman A. Sammut set his bail at $25,000 cash, $50,000 insured bond or $240,000 partially secured surety bond.
Bonilla Navarrete was represented by the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County, which does not comment on cases.
Officials at the church could not be reached for comment Sunday evening.
Nassau County detectives asked any other victims to contact the police at 800-244-TIPS.
Sam Kmack covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and previously worked as a city watchdog reporter in the Phoenix metro area, as well as an investigative journalist at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.
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