Former Gainesville Police Department chaplain arrested for failing to report child sex abuse

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Mark Vega, senior pastor of Ignite Life Center Church in Gainesville, Florida, who is also the former chaplain of the Gainesville Police Department, has been arrested for failing to report a case of suspected child abuse.

According to the news site Gainesville Public Information Services, Vega, 55, was booked on Monday afternoon by the Alachua County Sheriff's Office for one count of failing to report suspected child abuse. Ignite Life Center Church is affiliated with the Assemblies of God.

Vega is accused of knowing of the sexual abuse of multiple young boys by his former youth pastor, Gabriel Hemenez, 26, but allowed him to keep working at the church.  A sworn affidavit also alleges that Vega failed to report the sexual assault of minor girls by his son, Christian Vargas, who was 17 when most of the offenses occurred. Similar offenses were also reportedly committed by Noel Cruz, a former associate pastor’s son.

“[Defendant] knowingly and willfully failed to report known and suspected child abuse and child sex abuse to the central abuse hotline. DEF engaged in behavior that demonstrated a desire to prevent others from reporting known and suspected child abuse to the central abuse hotline and/or authorities,” the complaint against Vega states.

The complaint adds that Vega and church leaders had been aware since 2019 that Hemenez had been accused of abusing other males at the church. Vega was reportedly informed that Hemenez had allegedly sexually abused a 22-year-old student of the Ignite School of Ministry as he slept during a road trip to Kentucky.

“[Hemenez] offered M.R. to lay pillows on Hemenez`s lap so that M.R. could sleep. M.R. agreed and fell asleep. M.R. woke up shocked and terrified to Hemenez using his hand to masturbate M.R.`s penis without M.R.`s consent,” the complaint states.

When the student reported Hemenez to Vega, he promised he would “take care of it" but never did, according to the complaint. 

Vega instead allowed Hemenez to remain in the program and continue working with children. Hemenez would go on to abuse at least five other boys, all younger than 17.  Hemenez is accused of groping their genitals and abusing them in different areas of the church property between 2021 and 2022.

Investigators also state that four girls reported that Christian Vargas sexually abused them repeatedly on church property in a secluded section of the church known as “The Furnace.” One of the victims said she was coerced into having sex with Noel Cruz, a member of the church’s band and the son of another Ignite pastor.

When the parents of one of the girls reported the matter to church leaders, Vega was accused of trying to handle the matter internally and using intimidation tactics.

“V.V.s parents describe the second meeting with DEF as ‘intimidating.’ During the meeting DEF asks V.V.`s father, in what is an apparently rhetorical question, if he really wants to get the authorities involved? DEF also says that going to the authorities would ‘ruin’ the lives of Vargas, Cruz, and V.V,” the complaint states.

Vega, who had tried to address the sexual abuse by restoring Vargas and Cruz, suggested that the minor girl needed to be "restored" too.

He reportedly assigned two female pastors to help with V.V.’s restoration, along with “one-on-one” time with him.

“Notably, V.V.`s alone time with DEF included DEF buying V.V. expensive sneakers. The one-on-one time with DEF and the mentoring ended abruptly when DEF and church leaders learned that V.V. was cooperating with Gainesville Police Department`s investigation into Vargas and Cruz,” the complaint notes.

Hemenez was arrested for sexually abusing D.M., D.H., R.V. and A.C. — alleged  9- to 16-years-old — during the church’s 2021 summer internship program, along with other crimes. Vargas was arrested for sexual abuse and battery along with Cruz.

According to NBC News, Hemenez pleaded no contest last year to two counts of lewd molestation of a child under the age of 17. He is awaiting trial on three additional charges. Cruz pleaded no contest in January to sexual battery of a child under the age of 17 while Vargas has pleaded not guilty to lewd battery.

Vargas told investigators that on at least one occasion, his father had "walked in" on him kissing a 13-year-old girl.

“Given information gathered in this investigation it is more likely than not that Vargas was kissing A.S. in the area of the ‘Furnace’ where Vargas and Cruz would both take underage girls to sexually abuse them on Ignite property,” the complaint states.

“[The] investigation has revealed that it was well-known by members of Ignite and Church Leadership that the ‘Furnace’ was an area — located on the second floor, somewhat secluded and rarely used — that was frequented by juveniles who would engage in, among other things, sexual activity.”