A 51-year-old pastor and Jiu-Jitsu instructor, of Hollister, is behind bars on a staggering $17.5 million bail for allegedly sexually abusing at least four children in Monterey County.

Emmanuel Marchica served as a pastor and delivered sermons at a community gathering center in the Hidden Valley Community of San Benito County at the time of arrest.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office received tips about an ongoing sexual abuse matter that involved a child.

The investigators conducted interviews with witnesses, and the pastor was arrested earlier this month after a rigorous five-day investigation.

“On July 5, 2026, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office was made aware of allegations involving the ongoing sexual abuse of a child. The case was immediately assigned to investigators, who conducted interviews with witnesses and quickly identified several additional victims,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Detectives believe he’s not new to the lewd acts and identified victims whose statements go back as far as 2012. The authorities also suspect there might be other victims that were abused by the sicko pastor.

“Detectives believe there are additional victims who have not yet come forward and are urging anyone with information to contact investigators,” the cops said.

According to authorities, Marchica wore many different hats in the past. He ran bakeries in Prunedale and Monterey; owned gyms in Sand City, Seaside and Prunedale, where he provided physical therapy and massage therapy services.

Marchica is facing several felony charges, and the accusations detail a pattern of serious misconduct, encompassing various forms of inappropriate sexual contact, forced sexual acts and child molestation.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office urges anyone who may have been victimized by Marchica, or who has information that could assist investigators, to come forward. They can contact Detective Janelli Arroyo at (831) 755-7261 or Detective Sergeant Nicholas Kennedy at (831) 755-3773.

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