Convicted molester works at Tucson church

Convicted molester works at Tucson church

Child sex offender is music minister

Man pled guilty in 2000 to molesting girls

He did prison time and is still on probation

Now, musician heads group that performs in churches

SNAP fears he may have hurt or may be hurting AZ kids

What:

Holding childhood photos, child sex abuse victims and their supporters will pass out leaflets at a Tucson church where a convicted sex offender now works. The leaflets will warn church members about the music minister, who pled guilty in 2000 to two counts of child molestation, and urge them to

–demand his immediate removal, and

–talk to their kids about the sex offender.

When:

Sunday, November 10 at 11:15 a.m.

Where:

Outside of Dove of Peace Lutheran Church, 665 W. Roller Coaster Rd (at Oracle) in Tucson

Who:

Members and supporters of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, the nation’s largest support network for men and women abused in religious and institutional settings, including a California woman who is the group’s volunteer Western Regional Director

Why:

This week, members of SNAP learned that Eric Holtan, a music minister at Dove of Peace Lutheran Church in Tucsonchurch plead guilty in 2000 to two counts of child sexual abuse involving two girls in Duluth, Minnesota. Holtan served two years in prison and is still on probation. As a part of his probation, he is supposed to have no unsupervised contact with underage females.

He is also the executive director and conductor of the Tucson Chamber Artists.

At the time of his crimes, Holtan was the choir director at Duluth East High School. The girls were his students.

Because Holtan is a child sex offender still on probation, SNAP believes his employment is a clear violation of thechild protection policies of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). The group also fears for children at many of the churches where the Tucson Chamber Artists perform and that donors and the state may have been “duped” about Holtan’s past.

The Dove of Peace website shows photos of children engaged in music performance. As “minister of music, art and ministry” at the church, SNAP fears that he is working directly with these children.

In addition, Tucson Chamber Artists receives money from the Arizona Commission on the Arts and the Tucson Pima Arts Council, among other groups and individuals. SNAP believes the groups have no idea that Holtan is a convicted sex offender.

“How did Eric Holtan pass a background check?” said Joelle Casteix, SNAP Volunteer Western Regional Director. “We don’t know how Holtan got his job or what he told his donors. We do know that he must be in violation of his probation, is breaking the policies of the ELCA, and is definitely duping the people of Tucson about the serious danger he poses. He apparently is a charismatic guy, which is a common trait of sex offenders. The public needs to know the facts:  he molested girls, he pled guilty, and now he is in possible violation of his probation. What else is he lying about?”

Holtan’s case history can be viewed and downloaded here. For instructions on how to access the information on the Minnesota Judicial Branch website, click here.