Youth Director Charged With Criminal Sexual Conduct

HAM LAKE, Minn. (WCCO) -- The youth director at Glen Cary Lutheran Church has been formally charged with criminal sexual conduct, after it was revealed he engaged in an alleged ongoing sexual relationship with a young girl he met at the church.

Forty-seven-year-old Damian Blake Burkhalter, of Blaine, is charged with four counts of sexual abuse from alleged incidents that began in June 2010 and continued into the fall of that year.

According to the criminal complaint, a 15-year-old girl reported to her therapist that Burkhalter had engaged in inappropriate behavior with her while he was her youth pastor.

During that time, the girl said she acted as his secretary at the church and would often give "religious reasons" for him to stop the sexual assaults, saying she wanted to save herself for marriage.

According to the criminal complaint, Burkhalter would reply by telling her that Joseph was in his 40s and Mary was much younger.

The girl said the assaults occurred at Burkhalter's home and at the Glen Cary Lutheran Church. She also said at one point, Burkhalter attempted to adopt her. She told police the assaults began when she was 14 years old.

Burkhalter also allegedly sent the girl graphic text messages saying he enjoyed their "private times" together.

The girl told police, incidents also occurred over the summer at two church camps in Minnesota.

Burkhalter is married and has two teen-aged children. He was a Hennepin County jail guard for 15 years, and was also recently named to the Anoka County Corrections Advisory Board.

His bail has been set at $100,000 without conditions or $50,000 with the condition that he have no unsupervised contact with juveniles.