UPDATED at 11:53 a.m. Tuesday with a statement from Saint Francis Ministries.
A Salina man was arrested Monday on suspicion of multiple sex crimes against children.
Saline County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Michael Ascher said Tuesday that after an investigation that began in mid-May Nathaniel McEachin, 39, of Salina, was arrested Monday afternoon on suspicion of the following.
- Rape
- Aggravated criminal sodomy
- Aggravated indecent liberties
- Sexual exploitation of a child
- Electronic solicitation of a child
- Kidnapping
- Aggravated intimidation of a witness
- Unlawful sexual relations
Ascher said McEachin was employed at Saint Francis Ministries, 5097 W. Cloud, until early May 2019 and that the alleged incidents involving four girls — ages 14 through 17 — who were in the care of Saint Francis Ministries occurred in early May. McEachin was only employed at Saint Francis Ministries for four to five months, Ascher said.
Salina Post reached out to Saint Francis Ministries and received the following statement.
Saint Francis Ministries is aware that law enforcement officials have launched an investigation into allegations of professional misconduct by a former staff member of our Salina West facility and that an arrest has been made. We are cooperating fully with the official investigation, as well as conducting our own internal review.
Saint Francis goes to great lengths to hire highly qualified staff and provide ongoing training and supervision. Every employee undergoes a thorough background check by law enforcement, as well as a background check conducted by our staff. In this case, background checks produced no red flags that would have precluded this staff member’s employment.
“The safety and well-being of all the youth in our care is paramount, and we take every allegation very seriously,” said The Very Reverend Robert N, Smith, Dean, President and CEO of Saint Francis Ministries. “We continue to work with the youth in this case to ensure any physical, emotional and spiritual needs are being met. We have already taken steps to reinforce our training procedures and protocols with staff to prevent any future allegations of this nature.”