Ex youth pastor faces multiple charges of pornography and child sexual abuse, SNAP calls for church outreach
Mark William Heotzler was a youth pastor at Grace Chapel Community Church in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, from May 2014 to April of 2019. He is accused of a total of 53child sex crimes from between 2015 and 2021, including making sexual advances towards minors and sending inappropriate images by text and through social media to individuals under the age of 18. The criminal complaint alleges that Heotlzler made sexual contact with a 15-year-old boy. The former youth pastor is already a registered sex offender in Pennsylvania, following a guilty plea on March 4 to unlawful obscene contact with a minor. He is currently in jail on that charge.
We know that child abusers tend to seek out positions of authority that put them near potential victims. The fact that Heotzler worked for so long as a youth pastor, giving him direct access to children, is a cause for serious concern. These charges are grave, so we urge church officials and members to use all the resources at their disposal to ensure that no other boys or girls were victimized and that everyone who was a part of the parish community during that time is notified of the charges. We consider that their moral duty.
We also hope that anyone with knowledge or suspicions of Heotzler’s crimes will speak out now and call Pennsylvania State Police in Mercer County at 724-662-6162.
CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected], 267-261-0578), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected])
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
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