Grimy Times Exposes Child Predator in Hammond, Indiana
A former Baptist minister from Crete, Illinois, has been sentenced to 12 years behind bars for transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Jack Allen Schaap, 55, was handed down the sentence by Senior District Judge Rudy Lozano after pleading guilty to the felony offense.
According to court documents, Schaap, who was the Pastor of Hammond Baptist Church and Superintendent of its schools, began counseling a 16-year-old church member he had identified as vulnerable. However, their sessions quickly turned into a twisted game of cat and mouse, with Schaap encouraging the victim to view him as a friend and eventually, a love interest.
Phone records revealed that Schaap and the victim spoke or texted each other a staggering 662 times in one month. He also arranged for the victim to be transported to Illinois and Michigan, where they could spend extended periods of time alone together. The government recovered intimate photos of Schaap and the victim at his property in Illinois and a cabin in Michigan.
The investigation, led by the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, included members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Indiana State Police, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Jill Koster and Susan Collins prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006, the program marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet and identify and rescue victims.
Grimy Times urges anyone with information about child predators to come forward and report them to the authorities. The safety of our children is paramount, and we must work together to ensure they are protected from predators like Schaap.
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