Church mentor accused of trying to prostitute, groom Durham teenager
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Charles Paul Bruckschen, 51, was arrested on charges including soliciting prostitution.
- Court records show two counts of indecent liberties with a child against Bruckschen.
- Bruckschen mentored children at his church, according to a search warrant.
A Raleigh man who mentored children at his church was arrested last week on charges of trying to prostitute a Durham teen.
Charles Paul Bruckschen, 51, is charged with two counts of indecent liberties with a child and one count of soliciting prostitution, court records show. He was arrested Wednesday by Durham police and has remained in jail without bail since.
The child’s mother reported the allegations to police last month after discovering Bruckschen had allegedly sent the teen sexual text messages, according to a search warrant in the case. The child’s mother knew Bruckschen through their church and had asked him to mentor the child, the warrant states.
“The phone in the possession of [the teen] was purchased by Mr. Bruckschen and Mr. Bruckschen pays the phone bill,” a detective wrote in the warrant.
The teen gave detectives their text messages with Bruckschen, which reportedly began July 14, 2025, according to the warrant.
Screenshots in the warrant included text messages allegedly from Bruckschen, including “I have so much love for you I think about you everyday.”
When the teen didn’t respond to his last message, Bruckschen allegedly wrote back, “You not texting back” and “I see you not texting back now,” screenshots in the warrant show.
When a detective contacted Bruckschen last month, he agreed to meet with police at the station and did so May 1, according to the warrant. Bruckschen told police the teen sent him the sexual messages, the warrant states.
Police seized Bruckschen’s phone and completed a data extraction May 1, the warrant shows.
Bruckschen is forbidden from contacting the teen and may not contact anyone under 18 unless authorized by a judge, according to court documents. He remained in jail as of Monday morning.
