MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho — A former volunteer at NXT Dream Center in Mountain Home is sharing her experience working alongside Pastor Gregory Wayne Jones, who faces human sex trafficking and sexual assault charges.
Whitney Owens dedicated 20 hours a week at NXT Dream Center and attended Liberty Christian Fellowship Church in Mountain Home, both organizations run by Jones and his family. Jones is currently out on a $1 million bond awaiting trial.
WATCH: Volunteer reflects on a year working alongside Pastor Jones and the red flags she now sees
Court records obtained by Idaho News 6 through a public records request state that Jones used his position in the church to sexually abuse women, claiming it was part of spiritual healing. The documents also said one of the victims was 17 at the time of the alleged offense.
"He was given a gift to lead in the church, and yet he used it to take advantage of many people," Owens said.
Owens tells me she volunteered with children alongside Jones for about a year, and looking back, she says there were red flags.
"He never asked me to get a background check. I worked with these children for 20 hours a week. And I never had a background check. And I realized how many people were working with my child at this place who never had a background check," Owens said.
She also recalls moments during church services that didn't sit right with her. Owens said Jones would rebuke people during sermons, including a person she believed was the main victim in the case.
“He knew that somebody was watching on the video platform,” Owens said. "He said something along the lines of, 'How dare you criticize your spiritual father'.”
In August, Idaho News 6 spoke exclusively with a group of survivors outside the Elmore County Courthouse, where we first met Owens, who was there to show her support.
"The victims that have come forward, I am so grateful [for them] because I could see that the road that I was going down with him, opening myself up, being so vulnerable, allowing myself to be there so much of the time, not asking questions about the red flags that were there, that it could have happened to me," Owens said.
I reached out to both the defense and the prosecutor's office for comment, but have yet to hear back.
Jones initially pleaded not guilty and in August, tried to strike a plea deal, which the judge denied.
When asked what she would like to say to Jones on behalf of the community and for herself, Owens responded: "How dare you? You stole so many good things from all of us. And you betrayed us. And you lied to us."
Owens said she's moving forward one day at a time but feels this case leaves a deep wound in the entire Mountain Home neighborhood.
"I do hope that our community can come back from this and we can find a way to support our children again and provide those things for them. Our kids deserve that," Owens said.
Jones is set to appear in Elmore County Court on December 5th.
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