A Roseville, Minn., school and church community is reeling after learning that a volunteer with a history of sexual assault allegations was able to pass a background check and gain access to children at King of Kings Lutheran Church and School.
Joshua Alirio Seeman, 50, of St. Paul, was charged last week with four counts of criminal sexual conduct, including two first-degree charges, following allegations that he sexually assaulted four children between the ages of 4 and 6 at King of Kings.
The timeline of reported assaults spans from February to early April 2025, according to an email sent out by the church’s pastor, Steven Bielenberg, and school principal Jay Schutte.
The criminal complaint says that the incidents occurred during Seeman’s volunteer service and were reported to police by parents starting April 6.
Seeman, described in court documents as a “cognitively delayed adult with a lengthy history of sexual assault accusations,” has faced similar allegations going back more than two decades, with allegations in 2001, 2006, 2014, 2015, and 2022, according to the complaint, which says one of the incidents involved locking a female in an apartment.
However, because of his cognitive disability, most cases were never prosecuted. One pending case alleges Seeman lured a vulnerable adult into a park bathroom and assaulted her, the complaint explains.
“Multiple attempts have been made to get Seeman help for his sexual acting out, but his deviant behavior continues,” the complaint says.
The church confirmed in an email to church members that Seeman passed a November 2021 background check before beginning volunteer work and later completed a sexual abuse awareness training course in August 2023 alongside school staff.
In the email to church members, Pastor Bielenberg acknowledged the “severely shaken” state of the community and said that the church only became aware of Seeman’s past allegations after receiving the formal criminal complaint on April 11.
“Josh passed a Protect My Ministry background check in November of 2021 before he started to volunteer,” the email said.
“As of today, Josh remains in custody. A cease and desist letter was delivered to the Ramsey County Sheriff’s office to be served to him. This letter was also given to his legal guardian. Our attorney is actively working on a restraining order on behalf of the organization, which states that Josh is not to participate in any church or school event, on or off campus. We are requesting the court to order him not to communicate, in any form, with any church or school family,” it continued.
The email said Seeman also “has a school connection helping in our extended care program until early January 2024.”
Seeman remains in custody at the Ramsey County Jail. His legal guardian has reportedly declined to allow Seeman to be interviewed by police, citing plans to consult an attorney, according to the complaint.
King of Kings Lutheran Church has not responded to Alpha News’ request for comment at the time of publishing.
“We know this will be a long process. We are in the process of reevaluating our procedures and policies. We are starting to gather resources for families to help them,” the church’s email said.
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
