Youth coordinator at San Angelo church arrested for possession of child pornography

SAN ANGELO, Texas — On Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022, the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office conducted a child crimes investigation that led to the execution of a search warrant in the 1100 block of S. David Street in San Angelo.

According to a TGCSO press release, as a result of the search warrant, probable cause was developed that led to the issuance of an arrest warrant for James Needham, 28, for possession of child pornography.

Subsequent to the search warrant, Needham was identified as being the youth coordinator for the House of Faith Church. At the time of the warrant issuance, the House of Faith Church was notified of the investigation. Needham was terminated by the House of Faith following their notification.

Needham surrendered himself to the McCullough County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday, Dec. 31. During the post-search warrant investigation, information was obtained indicating a possibility of inappropriate contact with victims.

If you have reason to believe that you or your child may be a contact victim of Needham, the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office is asking that you contact their Criminal Investigation Division at 325-655-8111.

This remains an active investigation.

The following statement was released Tuesday by House of Faith Executive Director Marci Menchaca:

“On December 29th, 2022, leadership of House of Faith was shocked and outraged to learn of the allegations and subsequent arrest of former employee, James Reid Needham, for possession of child pornography. When this news came to light, House of Faith took immediate action to remove him from his position.

The charges listed are not in any way related to House of Faith or House of Faith participants, and no allegation has been made involving House of Faith. We have no knowledge of any inappropriate conduct having occurred with House of Faith participants. We encourage anyone with concerns to report threats of any kind to the Tom Green County Sherriff’s office, 325-655-8111.

House of Faith cannot disclose details regarding a former employee. We rely on law enforcement to take appropriate legal action and to keep the public updated appropriately.
Our ministry takes seriously its obligations to our families and follows established procedures for hiring employees and selecting volunteer personnel.

Our highest priority is the safety and care for our children, youth and families. We will continue to pursue safety in every part of our ministry and review procedures to determine if anything should be added to them.”