Pastor molested girl in his office and said they were ‘couple,’ Florida cops say

A pastor sexually abused at least two girls on church grounds, reportedly telling one “we only live once,” Florida authorities said.

Yersson Solarte, 33, was arrested during a family trip to Virginia, the Sanford Police Department said May 8.

He’s charged with sexual assault on a victim under 18 and lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim under 16, records show.

Solarte is the now-former pastor of IPUL Pentecostal Church in Sanford, or Iglesia Pentecostal Unida Latinoamericana Orlando Norte.

McClatchy News reached out to the church for comment May 9 but did not immediately receive a response.

The first girl came forward to report Solarte’s sexual misconduct a few days after the most recent incident with him, police wrote in an arrest affidavit.

The girl said on multiple occasions, Solarte made her sit on his lap and sexually assaulted her in his office and in the multimedia room of the church, according to police.

Investigators learned the pastor had abused a second girl on multiple occasions as well. The girl said the pastor “expressed his love for her,” but when she refused his advances, he tried to make her jealous by hugging and complimenting her sister, police said.

He “forcefully” grabbed her face to kiss her and molested her in his office and again during a “juvenile meeting,” saying “we only live once,” investigators wrote in their report.

He unzipped his pants and said they were now a “couple,” then the girl asked him to call her mom, police said.

The pastor is accused of molesting both girls on April 7, in addition to previous incidents.

“Following these allegations, Solarte was removed from his role as Pastor,” police wrote in a news release.

Officers with the Prince William County Police Department outside Washington, D.C., arrested him May 7, pending his transit to Florida to face prosecution.

“People like this are a special class of criminal, who use their position of trust to prey on innocent victims,” Sanford police chief Cecil Smith said.

Investigators believe there may be other victims and are asking anyone with information to come forward.

Sanford is about a 25-mile drive northeast from downtown Orlando.

This story was originally published May 9, 2025 at 1:25 PM with the headline "Pastor molested girl in his office and said they were ‘couple,’ Florida cops say."