Twin Cities minister charged with molesting a 17-year-old girl

December 1, 2020 at 12:08PM
Robert McKenzie Credit: Hennepin County jail
McKenzie (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A Twin Cities minister has been charged with molesting a 17-year-old girl.

Robert P. McKenzie, 49, of Brooklyn Park, was charged in Hennepin County District Court with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

McKenzie was booked into jail and has since been released on bail before a Dec. 16 hearing. A message was left Monday with his attorney seeking a response to the allegations.

McKenzie is a co-founder of Word of Faith Ministries, a Christian church that operates from a hotel in St. Louis Park.

According to the criminal complaint:

The teenager told police that she was in her bathroom in May when McKenzie touched her sexually. She told him no and grabbed his hands in an effort to get him to stop. On Nov. 8, he touched her sexually in the home's kitchen.

McKenzie allegedly admitted to the allegations, adding, "I had a perverted thought."

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about the writer

Paul Walsh

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Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Minnesota Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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