A former youth pastor accused of sexually assaulting minors at church functions in Thurston County in 2015 and 2019 is now facing charges.
Detectives with the Renton Police Department arrested Derek Nelson, a former youth pastor at Highlands Community Church, on Wednesday, May 27, as he left work.
He was booked into the Thurston County Jail on suspicion of second-degree child molestation and first-degree voyeurism, both felonies.
Charges had not been filed as of 5 p.m. on Friday, May 29, but an arraignment hearing is scheduled for June 3.
Nelson had his preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court on Thursday, May 28. He posted bail shortly after.
According to information released by the Renton Police Department, the molestation charge involves an incident in April 2015 when the victim was 13 years old, and the voyeurism charge stems from a separate incident in February 2019 when the victim was 17 years old.
According to the victims, both incidents took place during church functions in Thurston County.
Court documents first obtained by The Olympian indicate that the Renton Police Department began investigating Nelson in August 2024, after first being contacted with allegations about Nelson in 2021.
At the time, an adult victim had alleged that Nelson sexually assaulted them in approximately 2008, when the victim was a minor, in Chelan County. The victim believed Nelson had victimized other members of Highland Community Church.
The father of a separate victim reportedly contacted Renton detectives in March 2025 regarding an incident at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound. The victim reported that Nelson had molested him during a church function at the Great Wolf Lodge, at which time the victim was either 12 or 13 years old, according to court documents and information released by the Renton Police Department.
Nelson allegedly approached the victim while they were playing in the wave pool. Nelson allegedly asked him to follow Nelson to the changing room, and when the victim did, Nelson allegedly locked the door and sexually assaulted the victim. He then allegedly threatened the victim not to disclose the incident.
“Detectives believe there may be additional victims,” the Renton Police Department said in a social media post on Thursday.
The Renton Police Department asks anyone with information related to this case to contact Det. Scott Barfield at sbarfield@rentonwa.gov and reference case number 21-3228.
