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  • Couple stabbed to death by their foster child, NC cops say

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    The bodies of foster parents Joann Nicole Chavis, 46, and Ted Matthew Chavis, 53, were discovered around 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, near Raeford, the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office said in an Oct. 29 news release.

    The bodies of foster parents Joann Nicole Chavis, 46, and Ted Matthew Chavis, 53, were discovered around 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, near Raeford, the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office said in an Oct. 29 news release.

    Joann Chavis Facebook screengrab

    A couple found dead in a rural home had been stabbed to death by their foster child, and the fleeing juvenile resorted to suicide when capture seemed imminent, according to investigators in southeastern North Carolina.

    The bodies of foster parents Joann Nicole Chavis, 46, and Ted Matthew Chavis, 53, were discovered around 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, near Raeford, the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office said in an Oct. 29 news release.

    “Deputies responded … in reference to a cardiac arrest. Upon arrival, deputies discovered two unresponsive individuals inside the home,” the sheriff’s office said. “Preliminary investigation and evidence obtained from the scene determined that both victims died as a result of multiple stab wounds.”

    Multiple law enforcement agencies partnered on the case, resulting in evidence identifying “the couple’s 17-year-old foster child … as the suspect responsible for the homicides,” the sheriff’s office said.

    The teen was identified only as “D.P.”

    “When approached by officers, D.P. committed suicide from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the sheriff’s office said.

    That confrontation happened at the Boy’s and Girls Homes of North Carolina at Lake Waccamaw after a vehicle linked to the case was found parked nearby, the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

    “The suspect was not inside the vehicle. … Officers began by clearing the occupied buildings before moving to the unoccupied areas of the campus,” the sheriff’s office said.

    “During this process, law enforcement located the suspect, who at that point, took their own life. First responders rendered aid, and the suspect was transported to a local hospital where they later succumbed to their injuries.”

    The case remains under investigation and details of a motive have not been released.

    Raeford is about a 90-mile drive southwest from Raleigh.

    Mark Price

    The Charlotte Observer

    Mark Price is a National Reporter for McClatchy News. He joined the network of newspapers in 1991 at The Charlotte Observer, covering beats including schools, crime, immigration, LGBTQ issues, homelessness and nonprofits. He graduated from the University of Memphis with majors in journalism and art history, and a minor in geology.

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    Mark Price

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  • Hesperia pastor is arrested, accused of sexually abusing foster children

    Hesperia pastor is arrested, accused of sexually abusing foster children

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    A Hesperia pastor is in police custody following an investigation into allegations he sexually abused two minors under his care as a foster parent.

    Jose Manuel Lozano is awaiting trial at the High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto, where he is being held in lieu of $5-million bail. Investigators described his alleged victims as girls ages 16 and 10.

    Jose Manuel Lozano

    (Hesperia Police Department)

    The 54-year-old Hesperia resident led bilingual services for a predominately Latino and Spanish-speaking congregation at Zion Assembly Church of God Hesperia, an affiliate of Zion Assembly Church of God International, headquartered in Tennessee. A representative from the latter said in an interview that the organization condemns Lozano’s “ungodliness” and that he was removed from office March 15, when the allegations came to light. He was arrested last week.

    Pastors at neighboring churches said they were shocked and dismayed upon hearing of Lozano’s arrest.

    “It just reminds us of all the ways we have systems to protect children,” said Tom Beasley, pastor at Hesperia Community Church. He said he did not know Lozano personally, nor did any of his congregants.

    “We have to do our due diligence,” Beasley said of his role as a pastor. “It is a broken world we live in.”

    Lewis Busch, pastor of nearby Zion Lutheran Church and School, said he felt “profound sadness” at hearing about the arrest. He said he also felt concern for young people and anxiety about the potential ramifications for ministry work.

    “We’re about helping people and healing people,” Busch said. He worries that Lozano’s arrest has further sullied the reputation of clergy.

    Zion Assembly Church of God Hesperia is holding services in Lozano’s absence with interim pastor Henry Rodriguez in his place. Rodriguez did not respond to The Times’ request for comment, and the church’s Instagram and Facebook pages have been taken down.

    Since 2018, Lozano’s congregation had been renting space from Sovereign Way Christian Church, according to that church’s pastor, Stephen Feinstein. He said he knew Zion Assembly Church of God Hesperia as a good tenant that communicated well. The news “came as such a shock,” he said.

    He said the Sovereign Way Christian Church campus has security cameras in nearly every room, but law enforcement hasn’t asked for any video.

    “Sexual abuse is a problem in every institutional setting,” Feinstein said.

    Local authorities believe Lozano may have targeted other victims, and officials are asking anyone with information to contact San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Frankie Zavala with the Hesperia station at (760) 947-1500 or to call an anonymous tip line at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463).

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    Jireh Deng

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