MIDLANd, Mich. -- A local pastor charged with sexually assaulting a teenager has entered a guilty plea.

Timothy Ortiz, who served as the pastor of Father’s Heart Ministries in Midland, was arrested in September after allegations he assaulted a 17-year-old girl.

Ortiz, 44, had been charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Ortiz had been the pastor with Father’s Heart Ministries for almost a decade and was credited with building the church.

He faces sentencing in January.