Pastor denies molestation allegations

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SACRAMENTO, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- A California pastor accused of molesting five girls his family fostered said the allegations were not true in court Tuesday.

Tommy Gene Daniels, 49, is accused of 12 counts of child molestation involving five alleged victims.

One 12-year-old girl said Daniels molested her as she slept in a bedroom in the family's Citrus Heights home July 5, 2005, The Sacramento Bee reported. Daniels testified he opened the girl's bedroom door to let a cat inside the room but did not enter.

Four of the alleged victims were being fostered by the Daniels and one girl stayed with them while her mother worked. Daniels testified he wish he and his wife had never started their foster and daycare business.

"What this has done to my family, what this has done to me … I would never ever do this again and I would warn anyone considering it to stay as far away from it as they possibly could," he said.

His wife Brenda testified the girls -- ages 5 to 10 at the time of the alleged crimes -- were problematic and were sexually aware despite their young age.