West St. Paul Pastor Accused of Having Affair With Teen

A West St. Paul pastor is facing criminal charges in connection to an alleged affair he had with a 16-year-old parishioner.

Gustaro Resendiz Talabera, 39, of West St. Paul is charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of deprivation of parental rights in connection to the alleged affair, the Dakota County Attorney's Office says.

On Wednesday, West St. Paul police responded to a report that the 16-year-old girl had run away. She was not at school, or at home, where she told her mother she would be because she was sick.

Her parents found that some of her personal items and clothing were missing, but before they called police they were contacted by a woman who said she was Talabera's wife, the attorney's office says. She told the teen's parents she believed her husband and their daughter had run away together.

West St. Paul police were able to track the cell phones of Talabera and the girl to the Chicago area, where Talabera has relatives. After a nationwide arrest warrant was issued, Talabera was located and taken into custody Thursday in Joliet, Ill.

The girl was taken into protective custody and will be returned to Minnesota as soon as possible.

The extradition process has begun to bring Talabera back to Minnesota to face the charges, the county attorney's office says.

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