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Auburn Gresham Pastor Charged With Sexually Abusing Teenage Girl

By  Alex Nitkin and Erica Demarest | September 30, 2015 2:23pm | Updated on September 30, 2015 4:41pm

 George Waddles, 67, will face charges of criminal sexual abuse for molesting a teenage congregant, prosecutors said.
George Waddles, 67, will face charges of criminal sexual abuse for molesting a teenage congregant, prosecutors said.
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AUBURN GRESHAM — Prosecutors said a 67-year-old pastor of a South Side church sexually abused a teenage girl he was counseling.

George Waddles, the pastor of Zion Hill Baptist Church, 1460 W. 78th St., harassed and molested the girl for more than two years, prosecutors said.

Going back to December 2012, prosecutors said, Waddles had private counseling sessions with the then-13-year-old girl in which he asked her to lift her skirt and sit on his lap. On other occasions Waddles fondled her, prosecutors said.

Waddles turned himself in to police on Tuesday, months after the girl's mother secretly recorded him admitting that he'd molested her, prosecutors said.

He is charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Judge Donald Panarese Jr. said he could be released on his own recognizance if the Cook County Sheriff's Office provides electronic monitoring.

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