A Loxahatchee pastor is facing serious felony charges after a 15-year-old member of his Miami congregation told investigators he repeatedly touched her inappropriately on church grounds, according to deputies.
Deputies identified the pastor as 50-year-old Elco Vallier. He is charged with lewd or lascivious molestation and lewd or lascivious conduct. Investigators say the alleged encounters happened at Theophile Church in the Biscayne Gardens area of Miami. Detectives with the Miami-Dade Special Victims Unit secured an arrest warrant and, with help from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Vallier at his home in Loxahatchee.
The teen told deputies that Vallier “fondled her buttocks, rubbed her thigh, and attempted to kiss her on several occasions” while at the church, according to Local 10. Her mother contacted authorities after finding what she described as inappropriate text messages, which led detectives to open a criminal investigation…