Search for Minn. cult fugitive shifts to Washington state

Victor Barnard
Victor Barnard
Courtesy Washington State Patrol

Authorities in Washington state are following up on a "credible tip" in the search for a former Minnesota minister suspected of sexually assaulting girls in his congregation.

The Washington State Patrol said a witness spotted a man believed to be 52-year-old Victor Barnard at a fast food restaurant in Raymond, Washington on Wednesday. Investigators think he has been in the area for about a week.

Barnard faces dozens of counts of criminal sexual conduct in Pine County, Minnesota. He once led a religious group near Finlayson, Minnesota, where he was alleged to have had sexual contact with girls as young as 12.

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