When a sodomized 14-year-old youth could no longer bear the mental anguish and physical pain caused by his abuser, an American national, he burst into tears and confessed to a close family friend what he had endured behind closed doors.
The peace and quiet that is felt in the village of Sarteneja – a relatively small community situated in the Corozal District and about 40 miles from Orange Walk Town – was shattered on Saturday, October 8, when the allegation surfaced that the American man, Bryan Sears, 35, had sodomized three teenaged brothers, one of whom was allegedly under his care.
Sears, a missionary from Somerset, Kentucky, has since appeared in the Corozal Magistrate’s court, where he was read charges of three counts of unnatural crime for allegedly having forcible sex with all three teens, ages 13, 14 and 16. Bail was not offered and Sears was remanded to prison until October 17, 2011.
On Saturday, at around 3:40 p.m., the three boys, accompanied by their mother, a Guatemalan fruit vendor, filed the report, which subsequently lead to Sears’ arrest. A medical examination ruled that all three minors had been sodomized.
There was a feeling of anger and betrayal when we arrived in Sarteneja Village. According to the three brothers, they had been sodomized on different occasions by a man who had made the village his home for several years now.
Sears had a reputable role in the community. Reportedly, in the fall of 2008, he came to Sarteneja, where he volunteered and served as counselor up until the summer of 2011. He also doubled as a Bible teacher and youth pastor of the Christian High School. Sears was additionally a pastor within one of the denominations in Sarteneja.
When we sat down with the mother of the boys, she told us how she had met Sears, and later, the pain of finding out that he had sodomized all three of her sons.
About a year ago, the mother had met Sears through her church. She said Sears appeared generous and said he could financially assist her with school expenses for one of the boys. He even provided his home computer if they needed to do homework.
Eventually, the mother became an employee of Sears and she washed and cooked for him at his house. Sears then suggested that one of the boys could come live with him, and that he would be under his care. The mother said she accepted. Being a single parent, she said, she thought of it as a generous act and a big help.
Upon her acceptance, one of her sons, the 14-year-old, moved into Sears’ home, where he lived for almost a year until the report of the incident.
“I thought the help [he] was giving me came from the heart… I guess it wasn’t,” said the mother.
On Wednesday, October 5, all would change when the 14-year-old got drunk and confessed to a family friend that he was being abused, although he never told the family friend what the abuse was, although she had asked.
The villagers told Amandala that on that day, they saw the 14-year-old drunk, on a bicycle, and he was cursing the village. The teen was shouting and yelling as if in pain. Eventually, his frustration took him to the residence of the family friend.
The family friend related to Amandala that at around 4:00 p.m., the 14-year-old came to her house. She said she was sitting under a tree when he arrived on his bicycle. His hair was a mess and his clothes were really dirty, she said.
“I saw him and he was shouting like crazy and calling my name, saying he wanted to speak to me.
He wasn’t acting normal, and he was telling me about Mr. Brian, and I asked, what about Mr. Brian? He then said, ‘What has happened to me I will never forgive Mr. Brian, what he has done to me I will never forgive’,” the family friend said the teen told her.
According to the friend, in the past she had confronted Sears because he did not want the 14-year-old to visit her home. She said Sears was always strict with the teen, and this really puzzled her.
Because the teen appeared abnormal to her, the family friend suggested that he take a bath. Eventually, she and other family members managed to ease the teen’s tension and were able to put him to sleep.
Meanwhile, the family friend called the mother, who was dealing with some paperwork in Corozal Town.
When the mother was told what had happened, she hurried home and went to the family friend, but seeing that he was asleep, she decided to talk to him the following morning.
The mother said she talked to her son the following morning, but he only told her that he was being abused, but did not want to say in what form. She then asked him why he hadn’t confided in her, because she had asked on numerous occasions if Sears was mistreating him, having heard disquieting rumors about him in the village.
But according to the mother, none of her sons, in the past, ever spoke against Sears.
The mother said she then approached her other two sons, the 13-year-old and the 16-year-old, but they would not speak because they were ashamed of what had happened to them, but they later spoke with the police.
A Justice of the Peace who is also a preacher, Remmie Reyes, took a report of the incident from three grown men who came to his house on Wednesday. According to Reyes, at that time the men were unable to make the complaint to the officer in charge, who was not present at the police station in the village, so at around 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, they went to him to report that Sears was abusing the minor.
“As a Justice Of The Peace, I felt bad and I told them this is a serious accusation,” said Reyes.
Reyes told us that he was able to later speak with the teen, who told him that he was tired of what was happening. Reyes said that although he asked very pointed questions, the minor never said what Sears had done to him.
Reyes was then able to contact a constable, who then contacted the authorities in Corozal Town. On Sunday, October 9, Sears was arrested and charged with three counts of unnatural crime.
The sentiments of those in the village were primarily of hurt, but also of betrayal. The villagers said that they had never expected this type of behavior, especially by someone who preached the word of God. They were stunned and said that Sears had taken advantage of the situation of poor people.
“He knew the family needed help and he took advantage of their needs,” said some of the villagers. The incident has seriously shaken the peaceful atmosphere that Sarteneja is known for, they said.
On Bryan Sears’ Facebook page, he had the following information:
I was born in Somerset, Ky. and raised by the best two Christian parents in the world. After graduation from Pulaski County High School in 1994, I achieved in Bachelors in Business Administration at Eastern Kentucky University graduating in Dec. of 2000.
During the next two years I worked with my father and uncle, who taught me many things about vehicles, life, and business. During this time, I served as a leader at Victory Christian Fellowship under Pastor Mark Harrell. In the fall of 2001 the Lord called me to a full time ministry in missions while working with Dr. Fred Martin in Punta Gorda, Belize.
In Jan. 2002, I moved to Dallas, TX. and studied underneath Missions Director Rod Groomer and many professional ministry leaders at Christ for the Nations. During this time I served as the assistant Director of Missions.
In December of 2002 I graduated with a 4.0 GPA and moved to Belize within the following month. I served as a teacher under Roger and Sherrill Daulton.
Shortly after, the Lord moved me to Chiquimula Guatemala in the summer of 2005 where I served in a town called San Juan Ermita under the covering of Pastor Oseas and Jane Cordero.
Three years later God returned me to Sarteneja, Corozal, Belize in the fall of 2008. I have voluntarily served up to the summer of 2011 as counselor and bible teacher, and held various ever-changing positions during this year of transition, including Institute Financial Director, Vice-Chairman of the School Board, Vice-Principal/Counselor, and Bible Teacher.
I served in youth ministry, ministry of music, and as Sunday school teacher of youth for these three years serving the sponsoring church of the Christian High School. With the blessing of the local church and my sending church I recently teamed up with another missionary from Nicaragua, who has become my spiritual covering in Belize. We spend 15 or more hours together weekly.
He is currently planning three churches and evangelizing three villages.
(Ed. NOTE: We have left his comments largely unedited.)