Whitpain pastor convicted of child sexual abuse and faces hearing before judge

Mark Hatcher of Blue Bell, pastor of Holy Ghost Headquarters in Philadelphia, leaves a Montgomery County courtroom on Feb. 28, 2024, to await sentencing after a jury convicted him of rape and indecent assault of a minor. (Photo by Carl Hessler Jr. / MediaNews Group)

NORRISTOWN – A Whitpain Township pastor convicted of indecent and sexual assaults on an underage boy and two girls over an eight-year period at his home and in Philadelphia should be classified as a sexually violent predator, a panel of experts said Sex offender assessed recommended to a judge.

Mark Hatcher, 61, of the 800 block of Village Circle Drive in the Blue Bell section of Whitpain, now faces an August hearing on the sexually violent predator charge before Montgomery County Judge Thomas C. Branca, who will make the final decision will decide whether to allow Hatcher to be classified as a sexually violent predator based on numerous factors outlined in the law.

The Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board’s recommendation was revealed in a court document filed by district attorneys requesting the offender hearing.

“After the Sex Offender Assessment Board makes its decision, at the sentencing hearing I will call an expert witness who conducted that assessment and present the evidence as to why he should be classified as a sexually violent predator,” the said Assistant District Attorney Caroline Rose Goldstein said.

Defense attorneys could also call witnesses to challenge the state board’s decision. It was not disclosed whether Hatcher, a pastor at Holy Ghost Headquarters, which meets at the Met Theater on North Broad Street in North Philadelphia, agreed to be interviewed by the board while it conducted its evaluation.

Defense attorney Robert Marc Gamburg represented Hatcher during the trial. Court records show that Hatcher is currently being represented by defense attorney Andrew Robert Alston.

Specific details of the assessment report will be announced at the oral hearing.

If the judge ultimately concludes that Hatcher is a sexually violent predator, Hatcher would face more stringent conditions during his probation or parole period.

Restrictions include: lifetime, at least monthly, mandatory sex offender counseling with a state-approved treatment provider; “Active Community Notification,” in which local law enforcement notifies neighbors, local day care centers, school districts and colleges, and the county Department of Children and Youth Services of the perpetrator’s name, address, and photograph; and lifetime registration with the State Police on a quarterly basis.

During a three-day trial in February, a jury convicted Hatcher of 10 counts of rape, sexual battery, sexual assault and indecent assault of a child in connection with attacks on a boy and two girls between the ages of 6 and 15 in Whitpain and Philadelphia between 2000 and 2008.

Until sentencing, Hatcher was allowed to remain free on bail, but had to surrender his passport and was ordered not to have contact with minors. On this charge, Hatcher could face several years in prison.

Goldstein had previously vowed to seek a lengthy state prison sentence against Hatcher.

Hatcher did not testify during the trial, but as he left the courtroom to await the sentencing hearing, Hatcher said the verdict was “not right.”

State law requires that after a conviction for a sexually violent offense, but before sentencing, a judge must order that the person be evaluated by the state panel to determine whether the offender meets the legal criteria to be considered a sexually violent offender to be classified as a predator. Board members are appointed by the governor and include psychologists, psychiatrists and criminal justice officials who are experts in the assessment and treatment of sex offenders.

Under federal law, a sexually violent offender is defined as someone who “has a mental abnormality or personality disorder that increases the likelihood that the person will commit predatory sexually violent crimes.”

When making its assessment, the chamber takes into account certain criteria, including whether multiple victims were involved in the crimes, the type of sexual contact with the victims, the age of the victims and the perpetrator, and the perpetrator’s relationship to the victim.

During the trial, an adult man and two adult women testified that Hatcher engaged in indecent behavior and sexually assaulted them while they were at his business in Whitpain and Philadelphia. Hatcher knew the victims’ families, some of whom attended his church.

The investigation into Hatcher began in January 2022 when one of the victims went to Whitpain police to report what had happened to him as a child, according to the criminal complaint filed by Whitpain Detective Bradly Potter.

The 22-year-old man said he was 6 years old in the summer of 2007 when Hatcher touched him indecently and forced him to touch Hatcher’s penis while Hatcher masturbated. The victim recalled that Hatcher again had indecent contact with him in 2008, when he was seven years old. Specifically, Hatcher kissed him on the mouth and touched his buttocks as the boy played with a Noah’s Ark toy while visiting Hatcher’s home in Whitpain.

A 39-year-old woman said she was abused by Hatcher in 2000 when she was 15 and visiting Hatcher’s Whitpain residence. The woman said Hatcher showed her his body, then came up behind her and fondled her breasts. She recalled Hatcher asking her if he made her uncomfortable, and when she told him yes, he stopped touching her.

A second woman testified that she was 13 years old when Hatcher violently raped her in November 2006 while she was alone with the priest in a vacant Philadelphia apartment building. The woman said Hatcher put his hand over her mouth as she began to scream and eventually stopped the sexual assault while telling her he was “saving me for my husband,” the testimony said.

The victim had reported the attack to Philadelphia authorities at the time, but prosecutors there did not file charges, according to testimony.

While Goldstein argued that Hatcher was a trusted counselor and mentor to the victims and exploited that trust for his sexual gratification, Gamburg suspected that the three victims made up the allegations and questioned their delays in reporting their claims.

Hatcher’s relatives and members of his congregation testified that he has a good reputation in the community as a “non-violent, peaceful and law-abiding man.”

Goldstein argued the victims had no reason to lie.