(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 38 of an ongoing series and the thirteenth pertaining to this particular affiliated United Pentecostal Church (see links at the end). In part one of this case, I addressed 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. In part two the charges against Uselmann are covered. As a brief recap, 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 and one count of first degree sexual assault of a child. [EDIT: The first degree count was later dropped and then he was charged with five counts of second degree assault.] Rebecca Martin-Byrd, the survivor, was 12 years old when the sexual assault started. At the time of the alleged events, Glen Uselmann and Rebecca Martin were both members of Calvary Gospel Church (CGC), which is located at 5301 Commercial Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin. Grant is yet the bishop of CGC. 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.
There are multiple people who can corroborate various aspects of Rebecca Martin-Byrd’s allegations against Glen Alan Uselmann. These are two of those witnesses. These testimonies demonstrate that John Grant was acutely aware of accusations against Uselmann as far back as at least 1989 and chose to not report it to police and instead went on to allow Uselmann to be actively involved in the church, to preach in services and to obtain his ministerial license.
Rebecca Martin’s Letter Confirmed By The Pen-Pal
In the previous article, I wrote the following paragraph:
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.”
I was able to contact Bonnie, the pen-pal that is referred to in the criminal complaint. Bonnie was interviewed by detectives in October 2019 for approximately one and a half to two hours. She was born in 1975 and is less than a year older than Rebecca. It was her sister Lucy, who she referred to as “an awesome big sister” at the time, who took the letter to pastor John Grant. Bonnie was a member of the Immanuel Apostolic Assembly in Wisconsin Dells from the age of four and left in 1991. I questioned Bonnie about her memories of these events and she gave permission to share them as well as use her name and picture as a child. This whole experience has left her very uninterested in any type of organized religion.
I showed her what was recorded of her interview in the criminal complaint and she acknowledged its accuracy. That statement is posted after this section.
Bonnie shared that she remembers Rebecca “before he [Glen Uselmann] really started to prey heavily on her. She was a happy girl and a really fun long distance friend. I got to spend the night at her house once and I thought her house was so HUGE! We had fun in the way 12 year old girls should have fun. I know we wrote several letters back and forth where he was not the focus of her letters. Sure, there was ‘boy’ talk…since I started to ‘date’ one of the other boys at her CGC. I would sort of pry and see what was going on with him and if he was flirting with other girls (he totally was – jerk) – so funny. Then the Glen stuff took over and she wrote a few letters, with him being the focus, of him paying her a lot of attention and she gushed over how she felt so much ‘better’ than the other girls (not in a mean way – just in a pride way) that he had ‘picked’ her. She would talk about how many things he would buy her and how much money he would spend on her.”
Rebecca commented, “I did feel so special. This older minister picked me. I must be worth something.”
When asked if she could share about Rebecca writing that she didn’t want Glen to touch her, she responded, “One thing that really stands out is that she stated she had her menstrual period when he was trying to finger her on the roller coaster at Great America and she said it made her extremely uncomfortable since she was fairly new to having her menstrual cycle and was wearing maxi pads.”
Rebecca responded, “It was my first month with my period. And we went to Great America for a birthday party.”
Bonnie told her sister about the letters and recalls Lucy making copies “and then me feeling a little scared about when ‘shit hit the fan’ – I was scared that I might get in trouble somehow for sharing.” She went on to add, “Once the letters were given to Grant, her letters to me were almost absent and no details on Glen anymore. I probably got 2-3 more letters and it was over. I always wondered what happened to her. I found out that they got married and thought it was really fucking odd.”
When I asked Rebecca to comment about the letters ending she stated, “I did stop writing to her. I felt humiliated and terrible that I had involved her. I was embarrassed.”
Bonnie went on to share, “Remembering those letters always made me uncomfortable and knew it was wrong. I guess I did my part in reporting to an adult. The adults failed her time and time again. I have always wondered about her dad’s part in this ordeal. He was a fucking cop. Seriously? Not only failed by your church leaders, but your own father – who is a cop? This could have so easily been me. I am sorry it happened to Rebecca but am grateful it didn’t happen to me. I was a curvy girl growing up and got some unwanted attention from men not in the UPC – so I know the feeling of not wanting the attention.” More will be written about former Madison police officer Gregory Nowell Martin in a future article.
Bonnie’s Statement From the Criminal Complaint Against Glen Alan Uselmann
BJL’s statement
On 10/31/19, Det. Ware and Det. Bauman met with BJL, who reported the following: When RAM was 12 or 13, Uselmann “paid [RAM] a lot of attention.” She remembered being with RAM when RAM was 12-13 years old and described that RAM was “gushing” about Uselmann. RAM talked about how Uselmann told her she is pretty. She and RAM sent multiple letters back and forth, as a way to keep in touch when she (BJL) was at home. When RAM was 12 years old and she was 13, she remembered receiving a letter from RAM in the summer. She described RAM as being “12 ish.” In that letter, RAM told her about going to an identified business. In that letter, RAM told her Uselmann “tried to touch her up her skirt.” “He (Uselmann) basically tried to finger her on a roller coaster.” RAM also wrote she didn’t want Uselmann to touch her. When she read that letter, she remembered it making her uncomfortable. She described the letter as “graphic” and which is probably why she still remembers it today. She remembered the letter being “super significant” because at that age, it contained “sex stuff.”
Remember John Wesley Grant’s Position
In this case, it is very important to remember that when these events occurred, John Wesley Grant wasn’t just the pastor of Calvary Gospel Church, but he was also the Wisconsin District Superintendent. By 1982, Grant was in this position and remained through part of 1999 when John Putnam was elected. Putnam was replaced by James Booker in March 2018. Due to him holding this position, he was automatically a member of the General Board as a General Presbyter. This is the Board on which the very top elected officials in the United Pentecostal Church preside. John Grant has since retained the position of Honorary Presbyter in the Wisconsin District and Honorary General Presbyter on the national level. In 2014, he was inducted into the United Pentecostal Church’s Order of the Faith, which ironically noted, “He has taught ministerial ethics and Christian principles in a very easy to understand and unique way.”
Rebecca’s Letter Taken To John Wesley Grant
Lucy was interviewed by detectives last fall for approximately two hours. She is Bonnie’s older sister and was born in 1969. She had been a member of the Immanuel Apostolic Assembly in Wisconsin Dells from the age of six through 18, now known as TurnPoint Pentecostal Church. Winton E. Maki was her pastor. While a senior in high school, she was engaged to a man from Calvary Gospel Church, who was 21. They married in 1987 and then she was a member of Calvary Gospel until August of 1990, a little more than a year after this incident took place. John Grant’s handling of this situation was a major contributor in her exit. She had two young daughters and wanted to protect them. As a child, she herself was abused by her step-father and from the age of nine she was considered by others in the UPCI to be a liar, promiscuous and possibly possessed by demons. Lucy’s sister Bonnie remembers being in her wedding when she was 12, “so I knew many of the people and when I continued to visit – which was often – I got to know them much better.”
I questioned Lucy about her memories of the letter Rebecca Martin had written to her sister. She gave permission to share these as well as use her name. I showed her what was recorded of Bonnie’s interview in the criminal complaint and she acknowledged its accuracy. When her sister was very young, she read one of Rebecca’s letters to her over the phone. As this was “a huge red flag of abuse,” Lucy immediately drove to get her sister and the letter. She recalled only seeing one letter that was very long and she made a copy of it. She believes this was in 1989.
When she approached pastor John Wesley Grant with the original letter, it is alleged that Grant proclaimed that she had written it to herself “to get attention.” He proceeded to call Lucy a “liar” and kicked her out the choir for a year. She shared that, “Singing was and is my life.” When the year was over, she approached Grant about rejoining the choir and he allegedly told her to leave his office as she had lied and tried to “strike down” God’s anointed, meaning Uselmann.
In addition, Grant informed Lucy that he would not have her stand in front of the church and repent, so as not to put her husband in a negative light. (Her husband was very involved in the church but did not hold an official title.) Lucy’s husband wouldn’t go with her to see Grant as he deemed it to be “childhood issues.” Grant kept the original letter but was unaware that Lucy had made a copy.
Grant would periodically make members he deemed to have sinned, stand in front of the church and confess to everyone. Lucy shared that, “If he says it you are guilty.” He even did this with children. Will John Grant hold himself to this same standard and openly confess all the things he has done wrong and covered up all these decades? I wouldn’t hold your breath, but he does appreciate a standing ovation from church members, as he did on August 11, 2019 after a local expose was released, sharing several cases of unreported child sexual abuse at the church.
Lucy recalls that the setting in Rebecca’s letter was a theme park and a roller coaster. Uselmann was holding Rebecca’s hand in public and was trying to hide it. It mentioned him kissing Rebecca. Lucy claims to have seen abuse at the church outside of this letter. She recalled trying to approach Rebecca about Uselmann earlier and she ran away. When she spoke to Rebecca after giving the letter to John Grant, she shared that she told her she had the letter and that she took it to Grant. Lucy explained that it was not appropriate for Uselmann to do those things to her and that what he did was abuse and not love. She shared that she had been “hurt” as a little girl and that she’d always be there if she wanted to talk. Lucy claimed Rebecca said nothing and seemed agitated. This still makes her cry for Rebecca.
After Lucy gave the letter to John Grant and he falsely accused her of writing it, he 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.”
When I asked Rebecca about Lucy trying to talk to her she replied, “Lucy did try to talk me. We were at a youth function and she asked to talk to me. I was so scared that I avoided her. I don’t think she really had the opportunity to actually talk to me, as I figured that was what she was going to talk to me about, and so I avoided her. It was a bit after I was sending Bonnie the letters. I figured at some point someone would tell. So when Lucy asked to talk to me, I knew it was about the letter. So I avoided her like the plague.”
December 9, 2021 Update: A jury trial is set to start on July 11, 2022 and continue through July 15, 2022.
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.
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