Married Youth Minister at Atl Church accused of molesting 2 boys. Suspect Allegedly took videos of youths in public restrooms, not charged in those cases
Two boys have come forward and said they were once molested by a Kennesaw youth minister facing federal child pornography charges, a Cobb County police officer testified Tuesday. One 9-year-old has told investigators that “something bad happened†when he was with Jeffrey Alan Wasley, Sgt. Brian A. Moore said. Another 16-year-old has said he was fondled by Wasley eight years ago when Wasley gave the boy magic lessons, the sergeant said.
Jeffrey Alan Wasley served as youth minister for Calvary Jesus Church in Kennesaw.
Authorities expect more youths to come forward as well, said Moore, adding that Wasley has not been charged in connection with those alleged incidents. During Tuesday’s bond hearing, prosecutors laid out an extensive, sordid case against Wasley, accused of taking surreptitious videos of boys using public restrooms. At the close of the hearing, a U.S. magistrate ordered Wasley detained without bond pending his trial. The 37-year-old father of two tried to commit suicide, slitting his wrist and neck and stabbing himself in the chest, when the Cobb SWAT team and U.S. Secret Service agents came to arrest him at his home Dec. 11. Agents found suicide notes prepared by Wasley for his wife and children, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Tim Griffin testified. “He was apologizing,†he said. Agents also found a novel Wasley had written about a man who was abused as a child and grew up to be a molester, Griffin said. Wasley, who is under suicide watch, appeared at Tuesday’s hearing in an orange jail jumpsuit with bandages covering his upper chest. He pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.
Wasley served as youth minister for Calvary Jesus Church in Kennesaw. He was known as “Magic Jeff†for performing a popular magic act at hospitals and schools. He once worked as a magician at American Adventures amusement park in Marietta. Wasley was first arrested in July for approaching two boys, ages 5 and 7, in the bathroom of a Target store in Kennesaw. He reportedly tucked in one boy’s shirt. At that time, agents searched Wasley’s home and seized four computers. On one, agents found about 5,000 images of suspected child pornography. It appears that Wasley downloaded most of them from the Internet, Griffin said. Also found on the computer were nine videos of boys using public bathrooms that authorities believe Wasley took with his Olympus camera. One video was taken over the shoulder of a boy using the bathroom and who then looks up to see the camera. Because the startled boy’s arm probably struck the camera, it was then turned around on the man taking the video.
“It was obviously Mr. Wasley’s face in the video,†Griffin testified. Wasley was granted bond on the Cobb charges and was home when agents came to arrest him five months later on federal charges, Griffin said. This time, he said, authorities seized another home computer that had almost 12,000 more images — and 90 videos — of suspected child pornography.
