$1.4M bail set in child rapes; Former church official charged.

• Position: LOCAL NEWS

Byline: Gary V. Murray

WORCESTER - The former director of family activities at a local church was ordered held on $1.4 million cash bail at his arraignment yesterday on charges of sexually assaulting six children ranging in age from 4 to 10.

Samuel Molina, 33, whose address is listed in court records as 2 Freeland St., Apt. 2, was arraigned in Central District Court on three counts of rape of a child with force, four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child and one count of assault with intent to rape a child, crimes alleged to have occurred in Worcester on various dates from 2009 through July of this year.

Timothy J. Connolly, a spokesman for District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr., said Mr. Molina was the former director of family activities at the Iglesia Cristiana Bet-El church at 3 Wiser Ave., and the families of at least two of the alleged sexual assault victims attended the church. Court records indicate that one assault...