North Philadelphia pastor accused of child sex assault

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A Philadelphia pastor is behind bars in Montgomery County after being charged with sexually assaulting children in several incidents going back several decades.

Mark Hatcher, 59, is facing a slew of sexual assault charges including rape, statutory sexual assault and corruption of a minor, according to court documents.

Hatcher has been a Pastor of Holy Ghost Headquarters located along North Broad Street in North Philadelphia since the 1980s, according to his bio on their website.

Video from HGH's Facebook page shows him speaking during last Sunday's service.

According to court documents, three victims came forward accusing Hatcher of incidents dating back to 2000. The criminal complaint states that back in January, two relatives of Hatcher told Whitpain Township Police that he sexually abused them at a house he owns in Blue Bell.

One victim told police that Hatcher sexually assaulted him at least five times, which started when he was six years old. Documents state the other victim told police that Hatcher sexually assaulted her and exposed himself to her when she was 15 years old.

The third victim initially reported Hatcher in November of 2008 to Philadelphia police. According to the criminal complaint, she said the sexual assault happened inside a Philadelphia home. She told police that Hatcher pinned her down, covered her mouth while she tried to scream for help. The victim was 13 at the time, Hatcher was 43.

We reached out to Hatcher's attorney, Emmett Madden for comment. He said, "Mr. Hatcher denies the allegations against him from 15 years ago with no physical evidence. The support he is receiving from the community and his family paints a very different picture. And he looks forward to his day in court."