Baptist pastor accused of raping Thai immigrant

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PARMA, Ohio - The senior pastor of Parma Baptist Church in Cleveland's biggest suburb has been accused of raping a Thai immigrant and threatening to have her deported if she reported the crime.

Senior Pastor Richard G. Manning, 48, of Parma Heights, was arraigned Monday on a single felony rape count and was held on $100,000 bond to await a Thursday court hearing.

Manning arrived at the church in September after working for seven years in churches in the Oklahoma City area. Manning told police that before that he lived in Thailand for 15 years.

The woman, in her 40s, is not a member of the church. She called police on Saturday. She and Manning were introduced when he arrived in town because she is a native of Thailand, Parma police Capt. Robert DeSimone said.

She told police that Manning had raped her several times since November. Police said he coerced her into having sex by making her believe he could have her deported because she is not a U.S. citizen.

Associate Pastor Tim Shamburger said the church was aware of the charge and was waiting for the legal process to runs it course before taking any action.

There was no answer at Manning's home. A message seeking comment was left there Tuesday.

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Pastor Arrested On Rape Charge
Several Incidents Involving Same Victim, Officials Say

PARMA, Ohio -- Richard G. Manning, 48, senior pastor of Parma Baptist Church, was in court Monday in connection with one count of rape.

He was ordered held on $100,000 bond.

Officials said there have been several incidents with the same alleged victim since the beginning of November 2005, with the most recent incident occurring Friday.

Manning is a new pastor at the church, according to a news release. He came to Parma in 1998 from Oklahoma City. He also lived in Thailand for 15 years.

WEWS reported Manning told the victim, who is from Thailand, that he would have her deported if she told anyone about what was going on.