Eduard

A former Pella pastor convicted of four counts of sexual exploitation turned himself in to the Marion County Sheriff’s office on Thursday.

Patrick Edouard served as the pastor of the Covenant Reformed Church in Pella from 2003 to 2010 and had sexual relations with four women in his congregation during that time. In October 2012, he was sentenced for four counts of sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist and one count of a pattern or practice to engage in sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist. The Iowa Court of Appeals had granted a new trail to Edouard in November of 2013 after it found that jury instructions were improper and the district court had abused its discretion in excluding expert testimony, but his conviction and sentencing was affirmed by the Iowa Supreme Court earlier this year. Edouard has been out on appeal bond since 2012 and will begin serving his 5 year sentence.