Music Teacher Allegedly Preyed on Little Girls; Priest Accused of Sex Assault

A male teacher is accused of sexually assaulting girls who were 5- and 6-year-old students at his music school, and the Orange County District Attorney’s office is reaching out to the public for tips on other possible victims.

A Roman Catholic priest sexually abused a former church employee, according to a lawsuit filed against the pastor and the Diocese of Orange that employs him.

Randal “Randy” Letcher Scott, 57, of Irvine, was arrested Tuesday and now faces two felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14, sentencing enhancement allegations for multiple victims and substantial sexual contact with a child and the possibility of 30 years to life in state prison. The owner of Music Town, a school with locations in Irvine and Cypress, could also have to register as a sex offender for life if he is convicted.

Prosecutors claim that between October and December of 2015, Scott committed a lewd act upon the 5-year-old girl, while the 6-year-old was allegedly violated during November 2016. The Cypress Police Department and Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigated the allegations in this ongoing case. Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact Cypress Police Detective Deanna Hartman at 714.229.6738 or OCDA Supervising Investigator Eric Wiseman at 714.347.8794.

Father Alex Kim has known the woman making the allegations against him since she was 10 years old, having befriended her family, given her religious counsel that motivated her to join a convent in Korea and, after the priest was assigned to St. John Neumann Church in Irvine, hiring her as his assistant. But attorney David Ring, whose Los Angeles law firm Taylor & Ring is representing the woman identified as Jane Doe, claims that Kim had “a long history of exploiting female parishioners” and that, “The Diocese knew it. Yet, because Father Kim was incredibly popular and a talented fundraiser, the Diocese turned a blind eye to his misconduct.” The sexual assault and harassment lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday and seeks an unspecified amount of monetary damages from Kim, St. John Neumann Church and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Orange (or Diocese of Orange), alleges that, in response to previous and similar complaints spanning at least a decade, Kim was moved to different posts and, in 2012, to a treatment center for “sexually deviant priests.” That was before Kim is alleged to have sexually assaulted the plaintiff between April and September 2016. First, he allegedly groped her at a church event, something she claims she did not report because she believed they could get past it. But Kim is accused, two times following that, of groping, fondling and exposing himself to the woman, who took a leave of absence and later told church officials, who in turn removed the priest. for fear that he would continue his sexual misconduct, the suit says. The Diocese of Orange confirmed in a statement Thursday that Kim was immediately removed from public ministry in September after it was made aware of the allegations. The diocese went on to stress that the allegations do not involve a child nor do they relate to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which is the public commitment by the church to protect children and young people from abuse. As for the specifics in the lawsuit, against those directly aimed at the diocese, no further comment was mentioned, with the diocese citing a state law that protects the privacy of employee personnel records. More of a defense will have to come in court, according to Ring, who says, “The lawsuit will reveal the full story of the Diocese’s failure to protect female parishioners from an abusive priest.”

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