A former member of the Inspiring Body of Christ Church says he was 13 when Pastor Rickie Rush raped him, an allegation Dallas police say they are investigating.
Marcus Bell Jr., 26, described the assault in recent interviews with The Dallas Morning News, saying it came after a week of beatings by Rush in 2007 that left him bruised and barely able to walk. At least six former members of the church told The News that Rush often targeted him for whippings in the name of discipline.
The News also recently obtained an affidavit that another former IBOC member submitted to Dallas police two years ago, alleging Rush touched her inappropriately around 2006.
Bell and the woman are among 12 former church members The News has reported on since September who have alleged a range of abuse by the evangelist when they were teens or younger. They described beatings with wooden paddles, sometimes when they were handcuffed or tied down, hazing, and sexual grooming that led to assaults.
“Rush needs to be held accountable,” said Bell, who is serving the final 16 months of a five-year prison sentence for robbery. “He doesn’t need to be doing this to anybody else.”
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