Former ILC Associate Pastor’s Son Noel Cruz Sentenced to Three Years Probation
On February 19th, 2024, the associate pastor at Ignite Life Center Jose Cruz's son, Noel Cruz, was arrested and charged with lewd or lascivious battery against a person under 16 years old.
Jose Cruz left his pastoral position at ILC sometime after his son’s arrest.
Yesterday Noel Cruz was granted a withheld adjudication on a charge of aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony. Noel Cruz pleaded no contest, meaning he did not admit or deny committing the offense. Judge David Kreider accepted the plea deal.
Eighth Judicial Circuit Public Information Officer Darry Lloyd said Noel Cruz’s charge was changed because the prosecutor would've been able to prove Noel Cruz committed the aggravated assault beyond a reasonable doubt over lewd or lascivious battery.
Cruz statutorily raped a 15-year-old girl when he was 20 years old.
Cruz would've been facing up to five years in prison if his case went to trial.
Cruz's probation will be terminated in 18 months if he has no violations. Cruz's probation conditions are as follows:
Former volunteer and Ignite School of Ministry student Gabriel Hemenez was convicted of child molestation in March 2024, and sentenced to five years in prison.
ILC Head pastor Mark Vega’s son and Cruz’s co-defendant Christian Vargas is facing charges for raping a 12-year-old girl and being sexually coercive against a 14-year-old girl. Vargas was arrested in July 2023, and his case is still moving through the court system.
Velazquez’s sister, V, told her father about the sexual abuses Noel Cruz and Vargas committed against her. V, who was 15, began having sex with Vargas, 17, in July 2021, and a month later would be sexually abused by Noel Cruz, as he was 20 when she was 15. Vargas was not charged for this due to his closeness in age with the victim.
After V told her father, under Vega’s guidance, they arranged a private meeting between themselves, V, Lisa Vega, Jose and Noel Cruz, Vargas, pastor Esther Ombeon, and pastor Nick Bruce. They all met at Mark Vega’s house in High Springs.
Mark Vega said, “Jail will not resolve the issue,” and encouraged all parties to handle the matter internally.
GPD Sergeant John Pandak supervised the report but told GnvInfo that there’s “no probable cause to charge Mark Vega with anything.”
At the time of the meeting, Mark Vega had been serving as GPD’s chaplain, stepping down sometime after the sexual abuse cases started coming out.
Velazquez said her sister didn’t get any say in the meeting. “I doubt she talked at all. From what I’ve heard, it was just my dad, Mark, and [Jose Cruz] talking, and Noel and Christian apologizing.”
V and her father had scheduled depositions in Cruz's case but they were cancelled.
Lloyd said that depositions being cancelled is very common because all parties have to be present including officers, investigators, and forensics personnel.
After Hemenez was arrested, Mark Vega released a statement that said, “Ignite Life Center has been fully cooperative with the investigative process being led by the Gainesville Police Department.”
In the settled civil lawsuits regarding Hemenez’s crimes, ILC admitted they “did not report that Gabriel Hemenez was the subject of sexual abuse suspicions, rumors, reports, and/or complaints to law enforcement prior to February 2023.”
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