Shawn Justice, former pastor of the Corinthian Baptist Church in Fairbanks, has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of sexual abuse of a minor, a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Justice, 32, was convicted in Virginia in 2003 on a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, prosecutor Gayle Garrigues said.
Justice, then 24, was a choir director and had sex with a 15-year-old member of the choir, Garrigues said.
Justice's attorney, Nelson Traverso, argued that admitting the prior conviction would prejudice the jury, according to the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.
Traverso also argued that he should be able to present psychological records of the girl whose allegations led to the current charges against Justice.
The teen was evaluated in 2008 after attempting suicide soon after police began investigating Justice, Traverso said.
He said he does not know exactly what the girl might have said at that time, but only wants present information about the case at hand.
State Superior Court Judge Michael McConahy ruled Thursday that he must review any such records before making a decision on what to allow at trial.
Justice was hired as the pastor of the Corinthian Baptist Church in 2007 and led the church for 15 months before he was dismissed in August 2008. He then led a satellite church, also in Fairbanks.
The News-Miner said Fairbanks police believe Justice met the now-15-year-old victim while he was pastor, but that the relationship did not become sexual until the summer of 2009, after he left the church.
Trial is set to begin this month.
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