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Saturday, May 19, 2007                                                                                       View Comments

Youth minister charged with sex crimes

A former youth minister was charged with numerous sex crimes yesterday involving two underage boys who were members of his youth group.

David Baird, 45, of Penn Hills, was charged with statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviant intercourse, sexual assault, two counts of indecent assault, indecent exposure, endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors and unlawful contact with a minor.

Police said Mr. Baird had a variety of sexual encounters with two boys, aged 10 and 14, at his home while he worked as youth pastor for a Covenant Church of Pittsburgh in Wilkinsburg.

Mr. Baird worked for the church from January 1994 to 2004 as both a youth pastor and evangelical pastor.

During that time, Mr. Baird would invite children to his home on Orchard Drive, where the alleged sexual assaults occurred in 1999 and 2000.

Mr. Baird was released on bond yesterday.

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