Ministry leader in Texas used Bible to normalize sexual abuse of blind student, lawsuit says

A ministry group leader is accused of using religion to groom and normalize the sexual abuse of a blind college student, a Texas lawsuit says.

Daniel Savala has a history of sexual abuse accusations dating back to the 1990s and has registered as a sex offender since 2013, according to the lawsuit filed this week.

Savala is currently in a Harris County jail facing sexual assault and indecency charges involving children, according to jail records. His attorney did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment.

The lawsuit alleges ministry group Assemblies of God and religious fraternal organization Chi Alpha Campus Ministries created the “perfect haven” for Savala to sexually abuse people beginning in 2017.

“He used (religion) as part of his grooming process to normalize the sexual abuse, and he used religious text in order to make it seem normal and would say things like, ‘Nudity is unity,” the victim’s attorney Anjali Nigam told KTRK.

Chi Alpha is a co-ed Pentecostal ministry group sponsored by Assemblies of God, according to their website. They operate on nearly 300 college campuses.

Reached for comment by McClatchy News, Assemblies of God deferred to a February statement, in which it said it was “heartbroken to hear” of the allegations against Savala.

“The General Council of the Assemblies of God takes matters of this nature seriously and will do everything we can to help,” the statement read.

The victim began studying at Sam Houston State University in 2013 and continued to study there to receive his master’s degree after graduation. He joined Chi Alpha’s chapter in Huntsville and occasionally went to Savala’s home in Houston for “mission work,” according to the lawsuit.

The “mission work” often included home repair work on Savala’s home, according to the lawsuit.

Sam Houston State University did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on March 15.

Savala began sexually abusing the victim in 2017, according to the lawsuit, though it does not say when the victim began going to the home. The abuse continued through 2022, becoming “worse and worse” over the years, according to court documents.

The lawsuit alleges that the church failed to protect the victims from Savala even though they knew of his history.

Savala’s History of Abuse

Savala has been part of Chi Alpha since 1980, according to court documents.

In 1995, he became a pastor at Clover Pass Community Church in Alaska, where he met Eli Stewart and Eli Gautreaux.

Eventually, male members of his youth group came forward alleging Savala sexually abused them between 1995 and 1997 while he was a pastor in Alaska, according to court documents.

He was indicted on 11 counts of sexual abuse in 2012 but was only convicted of one, according to the lawsuit. He served 90 days in prison and was required to register as a sex offender annually.

Stewart and Gautreaux encouraged people to send letters of support in favor of a light sentencing for Savala during his 2012 case, according to court records.

The victim in the recent lawsuit later attended worship led by Stewart and Gautreaux in connection with the Chi Alpha chapter at Sam Houston State University, according to the lawsuit. Savala was often touted as a “prophet” by the two worship leaders, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit says Savala was able to sexually abuse minors and college students across Texas under the protection of Assemblies of God and Chi Alpha.

One lawsuit filed in February 2024 alleges Savala and Texas A&M Chi Alpha members sexually abused a 13-year-old boy multiple times from 2021 to 2022, McClatchy News reported.

The lawsuit says Assemblies of God, Chi Alpha and Mountain Valley Fellowship Church allowed the teen to be around a convicted sex offender and failed to supervise Chi Alpha members.

The then 13-year-old was also taken to Savala’s home, where he was allegedly sexually abused, McClatchy News reported.

Assemblies of God said Savala “did not hold credentials with the Assemblies of God and was never on staff with any Chi Alpha campus ministry,” in a statement addressing the February lawsuit.

However, the lawsuit filed this week says Savala was a Chi Alpha staff member at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette in 1989.

Savala is scheduled to appear in court for his criminal charges on March 20.

Huntsville is about a 70-mile drive north of Houston.

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