SPRINGFIELD – A prominent, longtime community leader, pastor, volunteer, and civic figure in the Springfield community is facing child sex charges.
Mark Anthony Molina, 61, of Thurston, was arrested and charged with child sex abuse following an investigation that began in August after a parent reported the incident to the police. The investigation involved a girl under the age of 14, according to police.
SPD Deputy Chief George Crolly reported that police received assistance from Kids First, a child advocacy center in Lane County, which took statements and conducted a forensic interview with the girl, leading to Molina’s arrest on Aug. 26.
Molina, who was born in Lompoc, Calif., has lived in Springfield since 1995. He moved there after being discharged from the U.S. Army, where he served for 11 years. This comes from a biography Molina submitted to The Chronicle in 2022 while he was campaigning for Springfield City Council seat.
He noted in those materials that the transition from military to civilian life was a struggle for him, and he found an outlet in serving his community through volunteering with Boy Scouts and coaching and refereeing youth sports. At the time of that interview, he was coaching the Springfield girls’ fourth-grade team for Kidsports.
Molina lost the 2006 race for a Ward 2 Springfield City Council position and narrowly lost again in 2022 in Ward 5. He served as chair of the Springfield Utility Board from 2020 until his resignation in September 2024, prior to the end of his term. Molina also served on the Springfield Budget Committee as a pastor at Living Waters Church in Springfield.
With 142 interviews on record, Molina hosted a podcast from 2020 through October 14, 2024 with guests ranging from state representatives, mayoral and city council candidates, the Lane County Sheriff, and Chronicle staff.
Molina was presented with the 2020 Emerging Leader Award by the Springfield Chamber of Commerce and has appeared in The Chronicle several times over the years as a guest columnist.
Molina is being held at the Lane County Jail with a bail set at $175,000. He was assigned a public defender during his arraignment on Sept. 17 and is expected to return to court on Oct. 1.
