Former church volunteer convicted of molesting six boys and distributing porn

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 12HF3538

Date: July 1, 2015

FORMER VOLUNTEER SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER CONVICTED OF MOLESTING SIX MINOR BOYS AND POSSESSING AND DISTRIBUTING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

SANTA ANA – A former volunteer Sunday school teacher was convicted today of molesting six minor boys and possessing and distributing child pornography. Christopher Bryan McKenzie Sr., 51, Costa Mesa, was found guilty by a jury of 10 felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14 years old, one felony count of attempted lewd acts upon a child under 14 years old, four felony counts of using a minor for sex acts, two felony count of attempting to use a minor for sex acts, two felony counts of distributing pornography to a minor, and one felony count of possession of child pornography with sentencing enhancements for substantial sexual conduct with a child and committing lewd acts upon a child under 14 years old against more than one victim. McKenzie faces a maximum sentence of 160 years to life in state prison at his sentencing on Sept. 4, 2015, at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-40, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.

At the time of the crimes McKenzie worked as a swimming pool cleaner. The defendant was a volunteer Sunday school teacher at Christ Church by the Sea in Newport Beach between 2004 and 2006 and at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa.

On multiple occasions between March 31, 1996, and Jan. 8, 2012, McKenzie committed lewd acts upon six different victims under the age of 14, including but not limited to masturbating, sexually penetrating, and orally copulating the victims. The defendant instructed several of the victims to remove their clothes and took nude photos of the victims under the guise that the photos would be used for modeling a sculpture.

The Newport Beach Police Department began investigating this case after one of the victims reported the crime, and the defendant was subsequently arrested in December 2012. The defendant was also found to be in possession and control of child pornography.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Heather Brown of the Sexual Assault Unit is prosecuting this case.

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TONY RACKAUCKAS, District Attorney

Susan Kang Schroeder, Chief of Staff
Office: 714-347-8408
Cell: 714-292-2718

Art Pedroza Editor

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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