RIVERSIDE, Ohio -- Prosecutors in Montgomery County have approved criminal charges against a Riverside pastor.

Members of the pastor’s church contacted police late Monday night alleging a dozen members, including children who had allegedly been sexually assaulted.

The Rev. Dennis Bowling was arrested early Tuesday morning in Miami County, hours after the church members contacted police.

Bowling has been pastor of Kingdom Harvest Church on Valley Street for 19 years. On Monday night, after the church’s community Thanksgiving dinner, about a dozen members came together and contacted Riverside police to make the allegations of rape and sexual molestation, dating back 10 years.

Bowling was arrested at a relative’s home in Miami County and was then taken to the Montgomery County Jail.

On Wednesday, Bowling was charged with eight counts of sexually battery in one case, police said.

Riverside police said they know of a dozen victims. They said at this time the victims are female and range in age from 10 to 24.

Investigators said the alleged attacks mostly took place inside the church. However, they said some happened on a mission trip to Haiti and perhaps at the pastor’s home in Huber Heights.