IN THE NEWS -
WORKER TIM SEVEREUD CONVICTED OF CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT
Tim Severeud
Article from newspaper in Worthington, MN.
Chiropractor’s former minister convicted of criminal sexual conduct
Justine Wettschreck Worthington Daily Globe
Published Tuesday, December 18, 2007
ALEXANDRIA — A traveling minister who served in the Worthington area was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to second-degree criminal sexual conduct against a 10-year-old girl from the Alexandria area.
Timothy Knut Severud, 42, is a minister for a religious sect that technically has no name. Members refer to each other as Friends or Christians, but they are often referred to as “Two by Twos” because of their tradition of sending pairs of missionaries to evangelize. Their ministers have officially registered the group with various government agencies under the name “the Christian Conventions” in the U.S.
Severud was a co-minister in Worthington at the time of his arrest — part of the same religious group as former Worthington chiropractor Lonnie Haken, who was sentenced in early December for first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct against two young girls.
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Severud received a much longer sentence than Haken, who was sentenced to 12 months in the county jail followed by intensive in-patient sex offender treatment.
Severud was sentenced to 90 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, according to Douglas County Attorney Christopher Karpan. After Severud’s prison sentence is complete, there will be a confinement review to determine his level status, and he will have to consider whether to pursue civilly committing Severud as a predatory offender.
“Trust me,” Karpan said Monday, “he’s going to go down that path.”
Severud was charged just weeks after Haken, and both were in positions of authority over their victims. Haken’s two victims were both molested while they were in his care and at least one of the families were members of the church, while Severud’s victim was a child in his ministry, and he stayed with them occasionally while traveling.
According to the complaint, the victim’s parents came home to find Severud on top of their daughter in her bed. Both were fully clothed. When confronted, Severud blamed the child and her younger sister, stating they had been inappropriate with him on a number of occasions.
He admitted the contact with both children to authorities when questioned.
“Oddly enough, (Severud) said that he ‘let the girls have their way with him’ and left the impression that he gave in to the girls’ inappropriate behavior,” the complaint states. He also admitted he “fell for a 10-year-old girl.”
BishopAccountability.org
'Traveling Minister' Sentenced for Sexual Misconduct
By Erin Klegstad
Alexandria Echo Press
December 19, 2007
A "traveling minister" was sentenced Friday in Douglas County District Court to 90 months in state prison.
Timothy Knut Severud, 42, pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct for molesting a 10-year-old Alexandria area girl.
Judge Peter Irvine also ordered Severud to register as a sex offender and serve a 10-year conditional release period after his prison term.
As a member of the "church with no name," Severud stayed with families throughout the Midwest while traveling from place to place.
He stayed with the victim's family numerous times during the past several years, said the victim's father in the criminal complaint.
"Oddly enough, I had never heard of this sect of Christianity until this case," said Douglas County Attorney Chris Karpan, adding that members are low-key and don't have homes or churches.
During the sentencing, the girl's father read a "very poignant, well-written" statement, Karpan said; many of the 30 to 40 people in the courtroom were choked up.
Law enforcement officials are continuing to investigate Severud and all of the families he has stayed with to ensure there are no other victims, Karpan said.
Here's what happened in this incident, according to the criminal complaint.
On July 23, the girl's parents returned home from the grocery store and didn't see her or their 6-year-old daughter. When the father went into the girls' room, he found Severud on top of his 10-year-old daughter, who was lying on her back, fully clothed, with her legs spread.
Severud was "gyrating…his pelvis juxtaposed over hers" while holding her hands back.
Upon confrontation from the girl's parents, Severud blamed the girls, saying they had been inappropriate with him, adding "there had been inappropriate behavior between him and the girls for quite some time."
In a phone conversation the following day, Severud told the girls' mother "the children had masturbated him."
Severud turned himself in at the law enforcement center on July 27 and admitted inappropriate behavior between him and both girls about six times while he stayed with the family.
He said he "let the kids have their way with him" and that he "fell for a 10-year-old girl."
Sergeant Jackie Notch interviewed both girls on July 27. The 10-year-old girl recounted several incidents of Severud inappropriately touching her, including the July 23 incident. When she had a hard time verbally telling of the abuse, Notch had her demonstrate using anatomically correct dolls.
The girl also said Severud inappropriately touched her several times while swimming together.
In a separate interview, the 6-year-old girl told Notch that Severud hadn't touched her, but had touched her sister's "privates."
About the sect
Members of the "church with no name" refer to each other as friends, saints or truthers; ministers are referred to as workers, servants or laborers.
They are often called "Two by Twos" because of their tradition of sending pairs of missionaries to evangelize. Their ministers have officially registered the group with various government agencies under the name "the Christian Conventions" in the U.S.
The church was founded around 1897-1899 by William Irvine in Ireland. Today, membership is estimated at between 250,000 and 600,000 worldwide.
Tim Severeud in 2007
