mont des oliviers haitian church
A Google Street View of Mont des Oliviers Seventh Day Adventist Church, at 244 East Ave., in Norwalk, Connecticut.

NEW YORK — A youth leader at a predominately Haitian church in Norwalk, Connecticut faces sexual assault charges after allegedly abusing two children over several years, sometimes while the congregation was in the sanctuary.

Jean Bernard, 44, of Shelton, Connecticut, was arrested Feb. 8 and charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault, one count of tampering with a witness and three counts of risking injury to a child. Connecticut court records show he is being held on $700,000 bond and is awaiting a March 14 hearing. 

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Sam is a reporter for The Haitian Times and a 2020 Report for America corps member. He has covered Haiti and its diaspora since 2018. His work has also appeared in USA Today, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Haiti Liberte. Sam can be reached at sam@haitiantimes.com or on Twitter @sambojarski.