Ignite Life Center Senior Pastor Arrested for Child Sex Abuse Coverup
Correction: This article initially reported that Mark Vega would attend a first appearance hearing. A jail employee later confirmed he doesn’t have to attend first appearance because he had his bond set on his warrant.
The head pastor of Ignite Life Center (ILC) Church, Mark Vega, has been arrested by the Alachua County Sheriff's Office on a warrant for one count of failing to report suspected child abuse.
According to a Gainesville Police Department (GPD) detective, Vega knew about the sexual abuse of multiple children and did not report the matter to authorities. Vega allowed now-convicted child molester Gabriel Hemenez to remain a youth leader at ILC in 2021 despite him being accused of sexual assault by a man in 2019. Hemenez abused his position as a youth leader to sexually abuse multiple young boys. Vega also failed to report sexual offenses committed against minor girls by his son Christian Vargas, along with similar offenses committed by Noel Cruz, a former associate pastor's son.
Vega is the former chaplain of GPD.
An Alachua County Jail employee told GnvInfo that Vega's $50,000 bond has already been paid for. She said she doesn't know who paid the bond but confirmed they accepted it from a bondsman.
As of now, 4:00 pm, Vega still shows as is in the jail on the Alachua County Jail booking log, however, it does not show a pod number.
Update | 5:00 pm: The jail employee said that Vega is still in the jail going through processing, and he still shows up on the booking log, now with an assigned pod, "BO." The jail employee said Vega likely turned himself in, and that she believes she saw him standing behind the bondsman when he posted the payment.
Update | 5:30 pm: Vega no longer shows up when his name is searched on the booking log, showing he was released on bond. When defendants are given a warrant, they sometimes have a bond set prior to their arrest. When filing the case, the Eighth Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office recommended Vega's bond be set at $50,000, a recommendation that was accepted by Judge Robert Groeb on November 20 when the warrant was issued.
According to Vega's warrant and defendant information sheet, nationwide extradition is authorized if he flees the state.
Update | 6:17 pm: The jail employee confirmed that “BO” stands for “Booking Out.” She also said Vega doesn’t have to attend a first appearance hearing because he had a bond set on his warrant, meaning his next scheduled hearing would be an arraignment, which he can also avoid attending if he submits a plea prior to the date it is scheduled to occur. An update will be issued when Vega has a set court date.
Update | November 25: Vega’s bond form has posted to the court records website.
Update | Nov 26: The Alachua County Sheriff's Office has confirmed Vega turned himself in, telling GnvInfo in an email, "The defendant voluntarily surrendered at the Department of Justice Lobby pursuant to an active warrant originating from Gainesville Police Department Incident No. 02-25-006544... Be advised that surveillance footage regarding the defendant’s presence in the lobby and subsequent jail processing is exempt from public disclosure under Fla. Stat. § 119.071(3)."
Editor's Notes: Hyperlinks were added on Nov 26.
