Documentary record Bound by Fear
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Conviction Christian institutions & contexts Other or denomination not established Thornton, Colorado, USA · 2026

United States: Colorado youth pastor convicted of assaulting a teen he oversaw in his church's youth ministry

Record class

Core record

Evidence status

Convicted

Authority role

youth pastor, Word Alive Church

Organization

Word Alive Church, Thornton

Spiritual nexus

Lucero was employed as a pastor at Word Alive Church and oversaw the congregation's youth group, ages 13 to 18; that pastoral oversight role — not merely being the senior pastors' son — is what the position-of-trust charge and conviction rest on.

  • Pastoral or clerical authority
  • Institutional obedience or isolation

Evidence structure

Proceedings

  1. 2026-05-29 · jury conviction; sentencing pending

    17th Judicial District Court, Adams County, Colorado. Convicted by jury of one count of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust; faces a sentence of eight years to life.

Documented coercion mechanisms

  • role overseeing juveniles aged 13-18 within the church's youth ministry
  • family standing as children of the church's senior pastors

Primary record

Sources

religion press court reporting criminal disposition and nexus The Roys Report, "Former Colorado youth pastor convicted of child sexual assault, faces 8 years to life."

Report on the jury verdict, confirming Lucero's role overseeing the church's 13-18 youth ministry and the position-of-trust statute used to convict him.

news aggregator corroboration Joe.My.God., "Colorado Youth Pastor Convicted Of Child Sex Assault" (June 2026).

Aggregated corroboration of the conviction, sentencing exposure, and the timeline of the abuse from 2018 to 2021.

local television police statement corroboration KDVR, "Youth pastor arrested by Thornton police, facing charge of sexual assault on a child."

Initial arrest report from Thornton Police Department confirming Lucero's employment as a pastor at Word Alive Church and his oversight role over the church youth group.

Related record

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