Victims of local youth pastor are speaking out about sexual abuse allegations

On November 26, 2024By Pranco

WESTON, W.Va. (WDTV) – Last week it was reported on 5 News a former youth pastor charged with nearly 200 counts of sex crimes against children dates all the way back to the 1980s. After his preliminary hearing, we spoke with two of the pastor’s victims, who are now in their 30s.

“First and foremost, seeing him in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs was probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Wendra Pullen, who was just three years old when she said her uncle, John Radcliff, II – a local resident youth pastor – began sexually abusing her.

Wendra says for years she didn’t think people would believe her claims of abuse and believed she was Radcliff’s only victim. But then, just a few days after one of the biggest moments of her life, all the trauma she tried to hide had returned.

“It wasn’t until three days after my wedding that my mother called me to her house to let me know that my sister was in the hospital for a nervous breakdown and had told me what our uncle had done. I burst into tears and said, “He did it to me too.” From there, my mother spoke to her sister and discovered that her daughters are also victims,” Wendra said. “At that moment (in 2004) we decided to report it to the police together.”

That first report was filed 20 years ago, in March 2004. At the time, no charges had been filed against Radcliff. So for the next twenty years, Wendra and the other victims say they lived in fear and avoided their uncle at family gatherings.

“I thought it (the abuse) was normal until I knew it wasn’t,” said Carla Rinehart, Radcliff’s niece. “When it happens to them, many children think it’s normal, but they don’t know it’s not normal. When they are ready to think that’s okay, they’ll start to believe it, until they grow up and when they realize it’s not, that’s when the collapse happens. I was 17 years old (when she presented), I knew that before, but when I finally knew, that’s when the breakdown happened. I was 17, then I told it, and then everyone told it. If they don’t know it’s wrong, they won’t be able to tell.”

Radcliff has pleaded not guilty to all charges and maintains his innocence.

5 News spoke with Radcliff’s attorney, James Hawkins, Jr., who says there is no evidence his client did anything wrong.

“It was clear from the preliminary hearing that the charges are based solely on claims made by the alleged victims,” Hawkins Jr. said. “No evidence was presented to corroborate these statements, either from the 2024 investigation or the investigation from 2004 that was revealed today in the file. We look forward to the opportunity to vigorously defend the case and at its conclusion we are confident that Mr. Radcliff will be acquitted.”

As for Wendra, she’s looking forward to her day in court.

“I have been willing to testify for thirty years,” Wendra said. “I’m looking forward to telling my story, looking him in the face and telling the whole world exactly what he did.”