Two cousins who have accused a former Greenwood clergyman of sexually abusing them in the 1990s testified Tuesday in the first day of his trial.
La Jarvis Love, 39, and Joshua Love, 38, have accused Paul West, 62, of abusing them while they were students at St. Francis of Assisi Elementary School, both on school grounds and on trips to New York and Wisconsin.
West, a former Franciscan friar, has been held in the Leflore County Jail since September 2020, charged with two counts of sexual battery and two counts of gratification of lust. He has pleaded not guilty.
The trial, which is only considering the charges related to West's alleged abuse of La Jarvis Love, is being held at the Leflore County Civic Center.
West, moving with the assistance of a walker, was present for the proceedings. Others present included only court officials, the jury and attorneys for the prosecution and the defendant.
La Jarvis Love, who now lives in Senatobia with his wife and four children, identified West in the courtroom as the man he is accusing and said this was the first time he had seen him in person in more than 20 years.
He testified that he first encountered West in the third grade, when West was his physical education teacher. He said his grandmother granted West, who had become principal of the school, permission to use corporal punishment such as paddling.
La Jarvis said the sexual abuse began in the fourth grade, with touching, groping and what he called “extra friendly” physical activity. The abuse lasted until the eighth grade, he said.
He also said West began calling him to his private office, showing him pornography on West’s computer and fondling him. La Jarvis testified that the abuse included oral sex and anal penetration.
La Jarvis said his grandmother allowed him to work various jobs at the school, which he said gave West more opportunities to abuse him. He said the only person he told about the abuse was his grandmother, who confronted West but was told nothing was happening.
He said the abuse has left him with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
When asked by West’s attorney, Wallie Stuckey, why he didn’t tell anyone, La Jarvis said he feared West. “When you’re being groomed, you think everything is OK,” he said.
Joshua Love, who lives in Greenwood, testified that West positioned himself as a mentor figure and began abusing him when he was in the fourth grade. He confirmed that his grandmother granted West permission to paddle him and said this began in 1996.
He said the first instance of abuse he could remember was in the school’s cafeteria when West was going to paddle him for misbehaving. He said West excused the cafeteria workers before taking Love to a back room to fondle him.
He said the abuse included oral sex, anal penetration and showing of pornography. He also said West attempted to have Joshua and La Jarvis perform sex acts on each other during a trip to New York.
Both cousins testified that they never spoke to each other about the abuse at the time.
Joshua alleged that West threatened to kill him should he tell anyone. He said he did not know La Jarvis had been abused until he came forward a couple of years ago.
Following Joshua’s testimony, the prosecution rested its case. The defense declined to call witnesses, and Paul West declined to testify.
Gypsi Ward, an investigator with the State Attorney General’s Office, testified that his office began investigating the case in 2019 and conducted several interviews with the Love cousins.
Presiding Judge Ashley Hines announced closing arguments would begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, followed by deliberation.
- Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwards@gwcommonwealth.com.
