But in the background, where everyone knew but wouldn’t talk about, was a massive problem. I think because sex was such a forefront issue, and because you were only allowed to marry other UPC-ers, couples were often getting married extremely young and the only compatibility goal was your mate be UPC too. …So affairs, sexual crimes, porn addictions, and unprotected sex was rampant. It was as if most everyone knew – I mean come on, I was a child and could see it, there’s no excuse for the adults not seeing it too – but no one talked about it or addressed it. No one would open that can of worms. Just as I sit typing this I can think of 7 examples of older men dating underage girls, just from my age group and circle of friends. – Rebecca, former member of Calvary Gospel Church
(Some statements in this article are what have been alleged by the survivor and some other people. There have been no convictions as of yet and to my knowledge, the alleged perpetrator has not openly admitted guilt.) This is Part 37 of an ongoing series and the twelfth one pertaining to this particular affiliated United Pentecostal Church (see links at the end). In part one of this case, I cover why Glen Uselmann should never have been given license in the United Pentecostal Church and how pastor John Wesley Grant, a member of the United Pentecostal Church’s Order of the Faith, was reckless and irresponsible in allowing such to happen as he was well aware of at least some of what Uselmann had done.
I don’t have any comments. That is ridiculous. I don’t want to comment on that garbage. – Glen Uselmann to the Cap Times in August 2019
Glen Alan Uselmann was born on May 19, 1959 and the charges against him are from when his victim, Rebecca Martin-Byrd, was from 12 to 16 years old. She was born in 1976, so there is a 17 year age difference. They happened when both parties were members of Calvary Gospel Church, which is located at 5301 Commercial Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin. During the years in question, John Wesley Grant was the pastor of Calvary Gospel Church and is yet the bishop. Roy Howard Grant, his son, was not in the position of a pastor at this time, as he wasn’t brought in until early 2013. Glen Uselmann received his local license from the UPCI in 2013, after the alleged sexual crimes, and either lost or relinquished his license in 2019. I cover this more in depth in my previous article. He is presently a resident of Columbus, Wisconsin.
If anything ever comes of this, I will know that I fought for the child I was once was. I have grown up now, and have promised myself to never be that willingly vulnerable again. I can see myself as that young child, and I will be what she once needed, and somehow, hopefully someday, bring her some justice and healing. – Rebecca, former member of Calvary Gospel Church
After almost a year of investigation, a criminal complaint was filed against Uselmann on July 15, 2020. This is Dane County Case Number 2020CF001760. Uselmann was charged with one count of second degree sexual assault of a child, 948.02(2) a Class C Felony, for sexual intercourse with a child under age 16 (Rebecca was 14 years old when this first occurred.) and one count of first degree sexual assault of a child, 948.02(1) a Class B Felony, for sexual contact with a child under the age of 13 (Rebecca was 12 years old when this started.). For the first charge he is facing a possible fine of not more than $10,000, or imprisonment of not more than ten years, or both. For the second charge he is facing a possible sentence of imprisonment up to twenty years. The offense date for the first charge is between July 21, 1990 and July 21, 1992 and for the second charge it is July 21, 1988 to July 21, 1989. [EDIT: The first degree count was later dropped and then he was charged with five counts of second degree assault.] The prosecuting District Attorney is Ismael R. Ozanne. On July 20, 2020 Christopher T Van Wagner was entered into the record as representing Uselmann. His first court appearance is currently scheduled for August 6, 2020 at 10:30 am, with a preliminary hearing set for August 27, which was later changed to September 10. The investigators involved in the case are Detective Bradley Ware, Detective Hall and Detective Bauman.
The effects stick with you, one way or another. The pain may subside, but the scars remain.– Rebecca
Other Allegations Apart From This Case
It has been alleged by more than one person that prior to when he assaulted Rebecca, Glen Uselmann had repeated sexual contact for months, possibly a year, with another minor girl who may have been 15-16 years old. He was at least well into his twenties. In addition, Debbie McNulty recalls a time when Uselmann approached her during the handshaking time at a church service, asking why she was looking blue. (This was during the time Steven J. Dahl was allegedly molesting her when she was 11-12 years old.) Debbie responded that she didn’t think anyone would ever want to marry her. She shared with me that he was definitely flirting with her when he responded. “He smiled at me and said he’d be happy to date me. Then asked how old I was. When I said 12 he said that was too young.”
The Charges: First Degree Sexual Assault of a Child
When Rebecca Martin was in third grade, her parents took her out of public school and enrolled her in the one operated by Calvary Gospel Church. Rebecca was ten years old when Uselmann started showing her attention and grooming her. When the alleged sexual assaults started, Rebecca was twelve and he was 29. From the age of twelve through thirteen, she reports repeated sexual assaults, but not intercourse, at the rate of about once a week. It is alleged that Uselmann would kiss her neck, put his arms around her, finger her vaginally (often in his car), and put her hand on his penis to rub it. It is also alleged that more than once he put only the tip of his penis into her vagina. Uselmann told her not to tell her friends.
When Rebecca was 12-13 years old, she wrote letters to her pen pal about what was happening with Uselmann. Her sister, who attended Calvary Gospel Church, allegedly gave the letters to John Wesley Grant, the pastor, who is now considered the bishop of the church. John Grant then brought Rebecca and her parents into the church office and warned Rebecca that if she talked about this, it could ruin Uselmann’s life and damage the church. Rebecca claims that, “Uselmann later confronted her in the church parking lot shortly after her meeting with [John Grant]. Uselmann pushed her into a car and said, ‘You talked!’ Uselmann told her, ‘You cannot tell,’ and also told her they ‘had something special.’ She was terrified at the time and knew she was in trouble.”
While it appears from the court record that Grant didn’t acknowledge this incident, the pen-pal, who received the letters from Rebecca, was interviewed and acknowledged them. She specifically recalled one letter where Rebecca shared that Uselmann “‘tried to touch her up her skirt.’ ‘He (Uselmann) basically tried to finger her on a roller coaster.’ [Rebecca] also wrote she didn’t want Uselmann to touch her.” When the pen-pal read that letter, “she remembered it making her uncomfortable. She described the letter as ‘graphic’.” To her it was “super significant” because it contained “sex stuff.”
However, on February 26, 2020, detectives interviewed John Grant about his knowledge of Uselmann’s sexual assaults. He claimed to have first heard about it when Rebecca and Glen had been married for 12-13 years and Rebecca had confided to Jon Eckenrod, one of the other church pastors, about some of her past sexual abuse. [Note: This time frame given by him is incorrect as the 1995 marriage ended in 2006.] Grant claimed he met with Uselmann after this and that Glen made it appear like it happened once, but admitted to Grant that they had sex before they were married. Grant claimed Uselman told him, “I know I did wrong and it was a long time ago.” On March 9, 2020, Eckenrod was interviewed by the detectives and acknowledged that in late 2005, while a pastor at Calvary Gospel Church, Rebecca came to him in an emotional and distressed state and “alluded to sexual acts as early as 12 years old.”
The Charges: Second Degree Sexual Assault of a Child
Rebecca was 14 when Glen Uselmann, 31, allegedly first forced her to have sexual intercourse. That same week Uselmann had volunteered to be a chauffeur for United Pentecostal Church evangelist Elton Leroy “Lee” Stoneking, who was a speaker at the Wisconsin church camp. He spent a lot of time that week with Stoneking, even taking him out to eat. Rebecca claims that Uselmann “had long obsessed over Stoneking.” After turning 14, Uselmann often drove Rebecca home after church and much of the sexual intercourse occurred in his car, a black Mazda MX-6. He would often park his car somewhere at night while in the process of driving Rebecca home. Assaults also allegedly occurred on his couch at his then residence on Stein Avenue in Madison. It is alleged that Uselmann would first “scroll through his TV channels until he came upon a pornography channel” where the “picture would not tune to see the picture so only the sound could be heard” and then he would start sexual acts with Rebecca.
According to the court records, Rebecca shared that “she spent time at church, school, and youth groups and no matter where she was, Uselmann showed up. [She] said there was ‘no getting away from him.’ [She] said the adults in the church did not seem to see the problem and encouraged it. [She] said her parents allowed Uselmann to see her at their family home. [She] said Uselmann also took her out to eat, bought her things such as clothing, and drove her around.” Rebecca also recalled an incident where Uselmann picked her up from a friend’s home and took her to his residence in Madison, when he was supposed to be taking her to lunch. His roommate happened to come home when Uselmann was on top of her and he hid her in his closet.
Rebecca took her first pregnancy test where Uselmann worked when she was 15. She claims he never wore a condom and that he made her read Bible verses out loud after every time they had sex. There was one time she remembered “where Uselmann stood over her and threatened to urinate on her if she didn’t do what he wanted.” She remembers once when she was 16 and her father, a Madison police officer, caught her and Uselmann together. Glen hid under Rebecca’s bed and she alleges that her father did nothing. More will be covered about former police officer Gregory N. Martin in a subsequent article.
Corroboration From Others
Besides interviewing Rebecca Martin-Byrd, John Grant, Jon Eckenrod and the pen-pal, the detectives also spoke with others. One of them used to babysit for Rebecca and her sister and recalled Uselmann showing “up with [Rebecca] at different events when [Rebecca] was 13 or 14 years old.” They also noted that she “often left with Uselmann in his car after church.”
Another person shared that after meeting Rebecca when she was 11-12 years old, that she told her about Uselmann. They mentioned that church members would refer to Rebecca as Uselmann’s “little girlfriend.” They recalled that Uselmann spent “tons of time together” with Rebecca, even driving her to dinner after church services and that Rebecca would write him “little letters and notes.”
They also remembered witnessing Uselmann kissing Rebecca around 1991, when she would have been 14 or 15. This witness also shared one time at Uselmann’s home while watching television, Rebecca was sitting between his legs and he was kissing her neck and face. They noted that Rebecca was “sitting upright and not moving while the kissing was happening.”
Prior to these events, they also noted that when Rebecca was visiting at the witness’s home, Uselmann would come over to the house a lot, but didn’t come inside. Rebecca would go out to Glen’s car and sit in it with him for long periods of time. It was also mentioned that they saw them kissing once outside the car.
Not only was I preyed on by my perpetrator, who I previously referred to as “Ben”, but inappropriate behavior was common. On my wedding day, I was carried out by one of “Ben’s” friends, while they did the kidnap-the-bride thing, and his friend stuck his hand up my wedding dress and held onto my lady bits (sorry, oddly enough I feel weird saying “genitals”). I squirmed and tried to move, and asked him to stop, but he just kept it up and laughed at me. I couldn’t get away from him as he was carrying me, and he thought it was funny. It wasn’t until all this came up that I have even told that story. I realize now that this guy was so bold that he sexually assaulted his buddy’s wife on their wedding day. But even then I knew no one would believe me or care if I did tell. I have since learned that this same man had previously assaulted two other women, and he was actually made to apologize to the congregation for one assault, but he was still allowed to be a minister there. – Rebecca, former member of Calvary Gospel Church
May 1, 2022 Edit: A jury status hearing is set for June 27, 2022, with jury selection on July 11. The trial is set for July 12- 15, 2022.
Articles:
Charges filed in sexual assault case linked to Madison’s Calvary Gospel Church– July 21, 2020 Capital Times
Columbus man charged with sexually assaulting child while working as Madison church youth minister – July 22, 2020 WKOW
‘My initial reaction was absolute shock:’ Madison woman affirmed after her alleged, childhood abuser charged with sex assault – July 23, 2020 WKOW (video)
Man charged for sexually assaulting girl at Calvary Gospel Church in Madison – July 23, 2020 WMTV NBC15 (video)
Criminal complaint alleges former youth pastor sexually assaulted girl for several years – July 23, 2020 WISC
Former Youth Minister At Columbus Church Charged With Child Sexual Assault – July 23, 2020 Seehafer News
Probable cause found in sex assault case against Columbus man – August 6, 2020 WKOW
You will find a complete list of articles in this series by clicking here.
