ALFRED — A pastor of a Limerick church has been indicted on a charge of defrauding MaineCare of more than $10,000 for substance abuse treatment services at the Hope Recovery Center, located on the same property as the church.

Ronald Petersen, the associate pastor at Faith Christian Center on Washington Street in Limerick, was indicted by a York County grand jury this week on a single count of theft by deception, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. A copy of the indictment was made available Friday in York County Superior Court.

Petersen, 56, of 161 Kansas Road, Bridgton, is accused of falsely creating the impression that Hope Recovery Center provided substance abuse treatment services to specific people between Sept. 1, 2010, and Jan. 30, 2012, according to the indictment.

Hope Recovery Center opened in the home next to the church at 143 Washington St., Limerick, at the beginning of 2010. A phone number listed for the center is no longer working.

The prosecuting attorney, Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin, confirmed that Petersen is a pastor but declined to provide more details about the case other than those indicated in the one-page indictment. She also declined to say how much money Petersen is accused of stealing.

“At this point, I really can’t get into the details of the case,” Robbin said.

She said an arraignment date has not been set.

It was not immediately clear whether Petersen has retained an attorney.

 


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