Bergen County pastor faces 21 counts of sexual offense charges against child

A Bergen county church pastor was arrested on Thursday and charged with 21 counts of sexual offenses allegedly against a child, officials said.

Stephen Sweet, 74, of Paramus, is a reverend at Grace Evangelical Church in River Edge, according to the church's website.

Sweet is accused of committing several acts of sexual contact and sexual assault against a child when they were between 13 and 18 years old in various locations at River Edge, Paramus and Ridgewood, according to a statement from the Bergen County Prosecutor's office.

The alleged sexual abuse occurred on multiple occasions over the course of several years, police said. Sweet is accused of committing these sexual offenses against the teenage victim between October 2013 and October 2018, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

A message left at the church was not immediately returned.

An investigation by the county led to Sweet's arrest on Thursday and he is charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, 10 counts of second-degree sexual assault, three counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, three counts of third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact and three counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.

Sweet has been a pastor at the River Edge Lutheran Church since 1997, according to the church website. He has degrees in psychology, counseling and sociology, and a Master of Divinity degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia, the church website states.

The church pastor is being held in Bergen County Jail awaiting his first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bergen County pastor faces 21 counts of sexual offense charges against child