By ALEX SILVERMAN
KIRO Radio

A local minister, music teacher, and convicted child rapist is facing new charges for allegedly forcing himself on a 15-year-old girl.

The girl was taking voice lessons from Royce C. Shorter at his studios, then located in South Seattle, when she told detectives he began kissing and groping her, according to charging documents.

Eventually, the contact escalated to sexual intercourse, despite the fact that the girl told Shorter "that she'd made a commitment to God that she wouldn't have sex and that she didn't want to have sex."

The victim said she and Shorter had sexual intercourse at least 5 times, until she stopped taking lessons in 2008.

Shorter, who runs Royce C. Shorter Ministries and is also listed as pastor at Ecclesia Community Church, both in Renton, has been a minister since 2007, charging documents said.

Shorter's record of pedophilia dates back to 1985, when he was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl he met through a choir group. He was also arrested in 1993 for child molestation, but was never convicted of that charge.

Washington State Department of Corrections spokesman Chad Lewis said Shorter was a frequent volunteer at Monroe Correctional Complex, most recently for a choir ceremony on Jan. 16.

The Department was well aware of Shorter's criminal past. "Offenders are allowed to come back and volunteer at the prison if they've been out for at least a year and are not on community supervision," Lewis said. "Sometimes the best volunteers are former inmates because they have credibility with the current inmates and can provide good examples."

Shorter will not be allowed to volunteer at the prison while the current criminal case is pending, Lewis said.

Shorter has not been taken into custody, but an arrest warrant has been issued and he is due to appear in court Feb. 17.

Alex Silverman, 97.3 KIRO FM Reporter

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