SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio minister is accused of child sexual abuse, records with the Bexar County jail show.
Ryan Peña, 50, was arrested on Friday after San Antonio police said a woman reported that Peña sexually abused her in the past, along with other minors.
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An SAPD preliminary report says detectives interviewed several others who made similar reports of abuse.
Peña was arrested in the 9900 block of Kriewald, where the Church of Acts is located, after a warrant was obtained, police said.
Peña‘s website, Ryan Peña Ministries, lists him as a senior leader for the Church of Acts. He’s also seen in multiple videos and images shared on the Church of Acts’ social media pages.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, a 31-year-old woman told police that Peña sexually abused her multiple times over several years until she was 17 years old. The affidavit lists the woman as Peña‘s relative.
During that time, Peña sent her a message on MySpace and told her he wanted to be “friends with benefits,” police said.
According to the affidavit, she said Peña groomed her from a young age and told her that he loved her.
Police spoke with another woman who reported that Peña, also her relative, sexually abused her when she was 12 years old, the affidavit states.
Police said both women reported the abuse to relatives over the years, but did not report the incidents to law enforcement because they “were trying to move on from what happened.”
Peña was booked on a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 years old, online jail records show.
Records show he was released from jail on Monday after posting bond.