Former North Valley Baptist Church Youth Pastor Sued for Sexual Abuse of Two Minors
TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains descriptions of sexual abuse and cover-ups involving minors. Reader discretion is advised.
All are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Jack Trieber has established himself as one of the biggest names in Independent Fundamental Baptist Circles. Trieber will be a featured speaker at two IFB conferences this month alone.
On March 18, 2024, he is speaking at the Old Paths Conference in Bethany, Oklahoma, with Tony Huston, Allen Domelle, and Bruce Goddard - the last of whom you likely recognize from the recent MAX documentary, Let Us Prey, which exposed his numerous coverups of sexual abuse.
Immediately after the Old Paths Conference, on March 19, he will be on the platform of First Baptist Church in Hammond, Indiana – one of the most prominent churches in IFB circles (and also no stranger to scandals) for the Servant’s Conference alongside Tom Williams, Andy Doll, David Gibbs, and John Wilkerson.
While Trieber is an oft-praised figure within fundamentalism, he and his church have also drawn much criticism from former members and ex-fundamentalists for his proximity to and direct involvement with some major scandals associated with the IFB.
In fact, one of the earliest alleged IFB abusers that I ever stumbled upon was that of Trieber’s brother-in-law, Mike Strouf – whose name is mentioned on the now-inactive watchdog site Chuckles Travels in a handful of articles.
The more I’ve dug into abuse within Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches, Strouf’s name has continued to resurface here and there - with a basic outline of a story of abuse (and ensuing cover-up by Trieber himself) that has been whispered about in ex-IFB circles for well over a decade. However, there has never been any public allegation that anybody could point to – until now.
On October 19, 2022, a lawsuit was quietly filed against North Valley Baptist Church and Mike Strouf by two women, Christina Cheetham and Kimberlee Craig, alleging abuse that took place near the end of the 1980s.
Due to the statute of limitations, this suit would not have previously been possible. However, in 2019, California Assembly Bill Number 218 amended the law about civil suits for recovery of damages from alleged childhood sexual abuse. The Bill prescribed an amendment and expansion of the definition of “childhood sexual abuse,” extension of the statute of limitations for commencement of civil suits for same, allowance of recovery of up to treble damages under certain circumstances involving a cover-up of childhood sexual assault, revival of specific childhood sexual assault claims, and exemption from the Government Tort Claims Act’s “claims-presentation” requirements for childhood sexual assault claims.
This amendment gave both Cheetham and Craig an unprecedented opportunity to take action.
I will summarize the critical allegations in this article. Still, I’d encourage anyone interested in the story to seek a copy of the suit for clarity.
Who are the plaintiffs?
Christina Cheetham was born on April 4, 1971, and began attending North Valley Baptist Church when she was seven years old and in 2nd grade. She met her abuser, Mike Strouf, through her association with NVBC.
Kimberlee Craig was born on February 16, 1972. Craig began attending North Valley Baptist Church and the church-operated school when she was 15 and in her sophomore year of high school. She met her abuser, Mike Strouf, through her association with NVBC.
Who is the perpetrator?
According to the suit, during his time at North Valley Baptist Church, “[Mike Strouf] held several titles, including Associate Pastor, Youth Pastor, and Sports Director. [Strouf] also served as a basketball coach and teacher, teaching various subjects including history, math, and bible studies.” The suit also claims that “he led weekly services that congregants and students” at North Valley Baptist Church.
Notably, Mike Strouf was – during this time - and still is, the brother-in-law of Jack Trieber, the senior pastor of North Valley Baptist Church since 1976.
What are the allegations?
Christina Cheetham
Christina Cheetham attended NVBC’s school from approximately 1978 to 1989. Christina met Strouf when NVBC hired him in approximately 1984.
Christina was 13 at the time.
As Christina’s youth pastor, Strouf spent many hours counseling her, and she, likewise, spent many hours with him - volunteering to help with school/sports-related tasks frequently.
The complaint revealed that “Cheetham disclosed to [Strouf] that she was a ‘pleaser’ and would always do her best to stay out of trouble.”
What follows is a harrowing textbook example of grooming and subsequent abuse.
I’ll quote directly from the suit here.
”In 1985, When Cheetham was 14 years old and a sophomore in high school, [Strouf] began grooming her for sexual abuse. For example, when Cheetham sought pastoral guidance from [Strouf], [Strouf] hugged Cheetham for the first time, in direct violation of [North Valley Baptist Church]’s rules. [Strouf] warned Cheetham not to tell anyone and that he would deny it if she did.
[Strouf] began hugging Cheetham more frequently. Cheetham served as his “helper” and was often pulled out of class to assist him in his office or sports closet. Once alone, [Strouf] would hug and kiss Cheetham, who was 15 years old. [Strouf] also began to fondle Cheetham’s buttocks and vagina while they hugged.
Over the next three years, [Strouf] made sexual advances on Cheetham and cultivated an unlawful and damaging sexual relationship with her. [Strouf] engaged in numerous acts of childhood sexual abuse, including kissing, groping, digital penetration, and oral copulation, that persisted for the remainder of Cheetham’s minority.
Cheetham is informed and believes, and on that basis alleges, church employees were in a position to, and did, regularly observe Cheetham spending an inappropriately large amount of time alone with [Strouf] both during and after school hours. [NVBC] employees who were in a position to observe the inappropriate interactions between [Strouf] and Cheetham knew or should have known of the inappropriate sexual relationship between [Strouf] and Cheetham. However, [NVBC] took no action to intervene and protect Cheetham from the ongoing abuse.”
The lawsuit continues with a specific situation described where – around the 1987/1988 school year – the son of a North Valley Baptist Church member told a parent that they saw Strouf and Cheetham “inappropriately touching each other’s feet under the table during a school meeting while several other students were present.”
The employee reported this. Still, Jack Trieber disregarded the report, telling the employee, “If she didn’t see it, it didn’t happen.”
Kimberlee Craig
Kimberlee Craig began attending North Valley Baptist Church in 1987 when she was 15 years old - a sophomore in high school. That same year, Mike Strouf was her youth pastor and teacher.
The suit explains that Kimberlee quickly became friends with Christina and “began spending time with her, often assisting [Strouf] with tasks in a similar manner as Cheetham. Plaintiff Craig began assisting [Strouf] with school and sports-related activities, including cleaning equipment, folding jerseys, and organizing schoolwork.
Craig and [Strouf] would often be alone in [Strouf] ’s office during these tasks. Several staff members at [NVBC] witnessed [Strouf] and Craig enter and remain in [Strouf]’s office alone.”
Identical to Christina’s story, Strouf began grooming Kimberlee with constant hugs, normalizing physical touch between them, progressively getting more inappropriate and escalating until, when Kimberlee was 17 years old, Strouf started to have vaginal intercourse with her.
At 17 years old, she became pregnant with Strouf’s child.
Kimberlee’s dad - a North Valley Baptist Church deacon - found out she was pregnant and reported it to Jack Trieber.
Mike Strouf admitted to what the lawsuit labels “inappropriate and unlawful sexual relationships with both Craig and Cheetham.”
The Ensuing Cover-Up
The suit continues with a chilling description of the cover-up after Mike Strouf confesses to Jack Trieber.
Again, I’ll quote directly.
Plaintiffs are informed and believe, and on that basis allege, Pastor Trieber arranged for [Strouf] and his family to transfer to a Fundamentalist Baptist church out of state.
Plaintiffs are informed and believe, and on that basis allege, Pastor Trieber arranged for Plaintiff Craig to move to Indiana to stay at home with a member of another Fundamentalist Baptist church until she gave birth to the baby [Strouf] fathered.
Plaintiff Craig was made to feel it was her fault for becoming pregnant. She was told by Pastor Trieber that she should give the child up for adoption and then she could return to [North Valley Baptist Church] “restored.” Trieber arranged for Craig to stay in Indiana while she was pregnant and told her it was best to stay out of sight until she was no longer pregnant.
Plaintiff Craig gave birth to her child and saw the baby one time before he was taken from her and given up for adoption. Craig returned to [North Valley Baptist Church] and was instructed to become as involved as possible, working and volunteering for [North Valley Baptist Church] until she attended college in Indiana the following year.
The lawsuit proceeds to point out that, had the report brought to Trieber in 1987/1988 about inappropriate contact between Christina Cheetham and Mike Strouf been addressed, it likely could have prevented future abuses by Strouf. It places a fair and necessary amount of blame on Trieber’s turning a blind eye to the reports he received.
North Valley Baptist Church and Mike Strouf responded to the allegations with denial – saying, in part, that:
“Under the provisions of Section 431 .30(d) of the California Code of Civil Procedure. Defendant denies each and every allegation, both specifically and generally, of each cause of action contained in Plaintiffs’ Complaint on file herein and the whole thereof, and further denies that Plaintiffs have sustained or is entitled to recover damages in the sum alleged or in any sum whatsoever. Defendant denies that Plaintiffs have sustained any injury, damage, or loss by reason of any conduct, action, or omission on the part of Defendant.”
You can read their entire defense and the full complaint by Christina Cheetham and Kimberly Craig by visiting the Public Portal for the Superior Court of California and the County of Santa Clara: https://portal.scscourt.org/search
The lawsuit is still ongoing. I will continue to update you as this story develops.
This is why statue of limitations must be removed
In Ohio where my abuse occurred you have until 10 years after you turn 18 file a complaint. After that no legal recourse
Data shows the average age for victims to come forward is 52 long past the statute of limitations. I was 49 when I exposed my abuser