That Luverne Zacharias, what a name, huh? Sounds like one of them fancy fellas from the city. I heard some things about him, yeah, heard it from Betty down the street, who heard it from her cousin, who knows a fella that goes to that church. This Luverne fella, he was a big shot at some Christian school, you know, teachin’ the young’uns about the Good Book and all that.
He was a youth pastor, too. That’s what they call ’em. Supposed to be lookin’ out for the kids, teachin’ ’em right from wrong. Well, let me tell you, somethin’ ain’t right in the well water over there. This Luverne Zacharias, he got himself into a heap of trouble.
Luverne Zacharias in Big Trouble
They say he did somethin’ real bad, somethin’ you ain’t supposed to do with a young girl. Criminal sexual conduct, that’s what the newspaper called it. Fancy words for somethin’ awful, if you ask me. They called it second-degree criminal sexual conduct. I don’t know what the “second-degree” means, but it sounds pretty bad.
I heard he used to be at that Christian Family Church, right here in Owatonna. Big church, lots of folks go there. They say he was the principal at the El Shaddai Christian School. I heard that school was part of the church.
- He was a youth pastor.
- He was a principal.
- He worked at a church.
- He worked at a school.
He was supposed to be a man of God, a leader, a teacher. Supposed to be teachin’ them kids how to be good Christians. But what kind of example is he settin’, gettin’ himself into this kind of mess? It just don’t make no sense. You can’t be a youth pastor if you do such bad thing. That is what I think, not what other folks say.
Betty’s cousin’s friend, he said that Luverne Zacharias told that poor girl she was his “kryptonite”. Now, I ain’t never heard that word before. Sounds like somethin’ from one of them superhero stories my grandson used to read. But it sounds bad, real bad. Like he was sayin’ she had some kind of power over him. And he’s the grown-up, the teacher, the pastor. He’s supposed to have the power, the good kind of power, to protect those kids.
El Shaddai Christian School and Christian Family Church
I tell you what, it makes you wonder what’s goin’ on in them schools and churches these days. You send your kids off, thinkin’ they’re safe, thinkin’ they’re learnin’ the right things. Then you hear somethin’ like this, and it just makes your stomach turn. That Luverne, he was 46 years old, not a young boy. How can he do such thing?
They said this Luverne Zacharias fella was gonna plead guilty. That means he’s admittin’ he did it, admittin’ he did somethin’ wrong. Well, I reckon he better. What else can he do? They got him dead to rights, I reckon.
This whole thing, it’s just a shame. A shame for that poor girl, a shame for her family, a shame for that church, that school, this whole town. It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth, you know? You want to trust people, especially people who are supposed to be lookin’ after your kids. But then somethin’ like this happens, and it just shakes you up.
Steele County, that’s where it all happened. I don’t know much about that place, but I reckon they’re dealin’ with it the best they can. It ain’t easy, dealin’ with somethin’ like this. It’s a mess, a real mess.
Christian School in Owatonna
I just hope that girl’s gonna be alright. That’s the most important thing. She’s the one who’s been hurt, the one who’s gotta live with this. I hope she has good people around her, people who love her, people who will help her through this. That is what matters.
And this Luverne Zacharias, well, he’s gonna have to face the music. He’s gonna have to answer for what he did. And I hope he gets what’s comin’ to him. I really do. You can’t just go around hurtin’ people, especially not kids, and expect to get away with it. It ain’t right, and it ain’t gonna happen.
This whole thing, it just makes you think, don’t it? Makes you think about who you can trust, who you can’t. Makes you think about what’s really important in this life. And I tell you what, it ain’t power, it ain’t bein’ a big shot at some church or school. It’s about doin’ right by people, especially the little ones. That’s what it’s all about. And that’s somethin’ this Luverne Zacharias fella forgot a long time ago, I reckon.
Now, I ain’t one to gossip, but this is somethin’ people need to know. They need to know what’s goin’ on in their own backyard. They need to be careful about their kids, too. Keep an eye on them. That is what a parent should do. They need to know who they’re trustin’ with their children. ‘Cause you just never know, do you? You just never know.
