Megachurch Preacher Convicted of Sex With Minor Sued in Will County

OUTSIDE CHICAGO, IL -- A former megachurch preacher from Crete who carried on a sexual relationship with a teenage member of his congregation was sued in Will County court.

Jack Schaap, 55, sentenced to 12 years in federal prison in March after pleading guilty to a single count of transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, is in custody at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago.

The lawsuit against Schaap was filed by the parents of the teen he had carried on with sexually in June and July. The lawsuit identifies the parents as "John Doe and Mary Doe," and the teen as "Jane Doe." The suit gives Jane Doe's date of birth as June 27, 1995.

Schaap, the former pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hammond, in northwest Indiana, first met the girl when she was referred to him for behavior problems in April 2012 the suit said. The girl was a 16-year-old student at Hammond Baptist High School, and the administrator there informed Schaap she was troubled but had a "very tender heart" and was still "very teachable and moldable" and "willing to trust her leaders," the suit said.

The girl continued her studies at Schaap's offices and was required to undergo counseling with him "for her so-called problems," the suit said. The suit accuses Schaap of "preying on the vulnerability of Jane Doe" during counseling sessions, and devising "means and methods to spend more time with" her, as well as "encouraging her to view him not just as her pastor, but also her friend, and eventually, as a love-interest."

In June, the suit said, Schaap allegedly had his secretary, Jean McCollam, drive the teen to a forest preserve in Will County for an "intense counseling session," during which he had sex with her. Schaap then took the teen from the forest preserve to his home in Crete, where he again had sex with her, the suit said.

Less than a month later, the teen, McCollam and her teenage daughter allegedly traveled to Michigan for a "girls' time out." But Schaap met them at the border and took Jane Doe to his Michigan cabin, the suit said, where they again had sex.

Schaap also "repeatedly" had sex with Jane Doe in his church office during a three-day youth conference, the suit said.

The lawsuit also names the First Baptist Church of Hammond as a defendant.

Besides having sex with the girl, Schaap gave her a card on her 17th birthday, the lawsuit said. Schaap allegedly wrote in the card:

"I can't get you out of mind. I keep thinking about how much I enjoy talking with you, how great you look when you smile, and how much I like your laugh. I daydream about you off and on all day, replaying pieces of our conversation ... laughing again about funny things you said or did. I've memorized your face and the way you look at me ... it melts my heart every time I think about it. And I catch myself smiling when I imagine what will happen the next time we're together. You must be really special, because I can't remember the last time I felt so strongly about someone. Even though neither of us knows what the future holds, I know one thing for sure—you're one of the best things that's happened to me in a long time."

Calls to the law firm representing the teen's parents went unreturned. The spokesman for the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Eddie Wilson, also failed to return calls for comment.

Are you a true crime fan? Then check out our Facebook page.