Molestation Plea Deal Rescinded by Judge
A judge Wednesday withdrew a plea bargain agreed to by a former church elder charged with molesting a girl 20 years ago, setting the stage for the man’s trial.
James Campbell Truxton pleaded not guilty to a single count of molestation after Orange County Superior Court Judge Roger Robbins rescinded an agreement for Truxton to serve five years’ probation with strict conditions. A preliminary hearing date is set for May 19.
Truxton, who is in his late 80s, was forced to leave Fullerton’s First Evangelical Free Church in 1992 after several women came forward to say the Sunday school teacher had molested them as children.
Truxton publicly admitted the accusations were true and created a $30,000 trust fund to help pay for counseling for his victims.
Truxton was not prosecuted at the time because the then-statute of limitations had expired. But California changed the law, allowing the clock to start when victims come forward.
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