LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A former Las Vegas private school teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student multiple times allegedly told her that he was doing it because he loved her and because “God made him that way,” documents said.
David Pendley is facing a total of 12 counts of sexual conduct between a school employee and pupil, documents showed.
In December 2021, the victim reported to police that she had been sexually assaulted by a teacher at Faith Lutheran, a private Christian school, while she was a senior.
The victim said that she was a student when Pendley approached her and invited her to attend a mission trip with him and his students to Mexico, according to documents.
The victim was assigned to Pendley’s group on the trip. While the group was in Mexico, Pendley asked the victim to go on a walk with him, asked several personal questions, and then asked a passing student to take a picture of him with the victim, documents said.
While the group was on its way back to Las Vegas, the victim said Pendley sat down next to her and leaned into her so he could “see the TV better” from the seat. When the group returned to Las Vegas, the victim hugged two other teachers when Pendley approached her, hugged her, and whispered “I love you” into her ear, documents said.
The victim told police she tried pulling away a couple of times before he finally let her go, according to documents.
That weekend, the victim said Pendley texted her for the first time asking for a picture of her face. Once she sent one after he persistently asked her, he commented on her looks and “began commenting about the fact that he always noticed how big her breasts were… adding that he wanted to grab them,” documents said.
In March 2018, Pendley allegedly asked the victim to dog sit while he and his wife were away on a cruise and invited the victim to his home to meet his wife and dog.
When the victim arrived at the home, she realized it was just the two of them. While at the home, Pendley sexually assaulted the victim, documents said.
While the victim was dog-sitting, Pendley asked her to stay in the home so that she could also house-sit. The victim said he would check on her regularly and messaged her one day to get a pair of his boxers from his bedroom, take a picture in them, wear them to sleep, and spray his cologne on her, documents said.
Pendley allegedly continued to sexually assault the victim over the next six months at multiple locations, including at the school.
The victim told police that every time she told Pendley she did not like what she was doing “he would get mad” and tell her that he loved her, documents said.
The victim told police that at one point, Pendley started crying and was “visibly upset” when she said she was going to her prom because he “did not want her to dance with any other boys,” documents said.
At one point, Pendley allegedly told the victim that “the reason he was often sexual with her because his heart is connected to his penis, and when he loves someone, his penis gets erect,” adding that “God made him that way,” documents said.
When the victim told Pendley she was uncomfortable about the situation because Pendley was married and the school would find out, Pendley allegedly told her that he was planning on divorcing his wife and that nobody would believe her if she told anyone “because everyone likes him, and he knew how to ‘bulls—‘ his way to make people believe him,” according to documents.
Pendley eventually told the victim that they had to stop talking because school administration was questioning him about a photograph showing him giving a student a piggyback ride, documents said.
Pendley was hired in 2015 and was terminated in 2020 for consuming alcohol on school premises, according to documents.
A Faith Lutheran spokesperson told the 8 News Now Investigators on Monday that Pendley “had left due to unrelated circumstances” to the sexual assault allegations.
Pendley’s LinkedIn said that he is still currently working at Faith Lutheran as a middle school theology teacher.
Pendley initially told police he would come in for an interview when they contacted him in April but did not show up for the scheduled interview the next day. An attorney then called detectives saying that Pendley was not going to give a statement.
Police booked Pendley into the Clark County Detention Center on a warrant Monday, Oct. 17. He was released without bond and was due in court next month.
