Crime & Safety

Former Choir Director Sentenced After Serving Minors; Victims Claim Being Coerced into Sex

Kevin Foster sentenced to 60 days in jail, victims said they were coerced into having sex.

The former choir director at Westlake United Methodist Church who was arrested in September of 2012 was sentenced to 60 days in jail on two counts of furnishing minors with alcohol, a misdemeanor.

Kevin Foster, 37, was sentenced on April 19 by Rocky River Municipal Court Judge Donna Congeni Fitzsimmons to 60 days in Cuyahoga County jail and a $1,000 fine. He pleaded no contest and was found guilty by the court.

Foster was accused of serving two underaged young women, who were 18, alcohol last year on the church's premises.

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Foster is also a self-employed music teacher. According to by Westlake Police, he gave lessons in his home and also served as a recital accompanist in area schools.

The two young women are students of his, police said in a statement last September.

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"I take full responsibility for providing the alcohol to the two adults under 21," Foster told Rocky River Municipal Court Judge Donna Congeni Fitzsimmons, according to WKYC.com.

WKYC reported the girls were hoping to advance their music careers, but instead, prosecutors say, the girls found themselves ensnared in a "prolonged psychological campaign" during which the 37-year-old coerced them into having sex. Both girls said they had sex with Foster at his Arthur Avenue home.

Foster has been active in the community, serving as co-chair for the 2011 Bicentennial Bake-Off.              

Last year, Foster’s attorney, Ronald Frey, spoke highly of him.

"Mr. Foster has been an active member in the church for the last eight years," Frey said. "He is held in high esteem by the congregation and those who have worked with him."


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