Possible additional victims sought
On Monday (Feb. 17), patrol deputies with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) responded to a complaint from a mother about potential child abuse. The mother and her child attend a church operated out of a private residence in the Hazel Dell area. The church is called the “Army of the Lord — Ministry of Defense.”
The mother reported that she had asked a friend to take her 6-year-old child to services on Feb. 16 since she could not attend. The mother asked her friend if she would talk to the minister, Gabriel Hardy, age 42, of Vancouver, about having a conversation with the 6-year-old child about recent disrespectful behavior.
The child returned home after the service with bruising and welts across their lower back, hips, and buttocks. The child told the mother that Hardy had whipped them with a belt approximately 12 times.
CCSO patrol responded and asked for assistance with the investigation from the Special Victims Unit (SVU). SVU investigated this case and learned from witnesses that Hardy openly preached about corporal punishment of young children and professed that he was divinely ordained to chastise children. Hardy admitted to the child’s mother that he had whipped the child with a belt to discipline the child.
On Thursday (Feb. 20), SVU served a search warrant at the residence with the assistance of the Major Crimes Unit (MCU) and the Tactical Detective Unit (TDU). Hardy was not present at the time of the search warrant, but evidence of the crime of Assault of a Child was located inside the residence and seized pursuant to the search warrant. Hardy was contacted by detectives later in the day and admitted he struck the child in this case with a belt.
Hardy was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Clark County Jail for Assault of a Child in the third degree.
The Special Victims Unit believes that Hardy may have similarly assaulted other children in Clark County. Anyone with information related to this investigation is requested to contact the Clark County Sheriff’s Office by calling 3-1-1 or emailing detectives at cjcdetective@clark.wa.gov.
Information provided by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
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