(File photo/CKOM News)

By CKOM News

Pastor resigns after investigation finds him responsible for Twitter attacks

Nov 24, 2022 | 3:57 PM

A Saskatchewan pastor has resigned after an independent investigation found him to be the person behind thousands of cruel, crude and demeaning tweets.

The Lutheran Church-Canada said in a news release that pastor Todd Guggenmos, who worked in Langenburg, was found by an independent investigation to have created an anonymous Twitter account used to repeatedly target people over the course of almost two years.

The posts from the account reportedly used crass language and belittled, mocked and demeaned the people it targeted, according to the news release. Guggenmos specifically targeted women with his anonymous online presence.

In the release, the Lutheran Church-Canada expressed “sincere sorrow” and said they’re praying for those who were impacted by Guggenmos’s “unwarranted and disturbing” behaviour. It called his misconduct unbecoming of a spiritual leader.

The release also stated an alleged tweet relating to the age of consent for sexual activity could not be traced to Guggenmos’s account, even after the investigator used forensic analysis. The author of that tweet has not been proven or disproven.

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“LCC is grateful to the complainants for their strength and courage in bringing this matter to our attention, and for their patience,” the release said.

One of the women targeted by Guggenmos on the anonymous account, Tenille Lafontaine, responded to the release on Twitter.

“When you speak the truth, and trust in the process, sometimes it all works out,” she wrote. “Todd Guggenmos was the evil behind years of harassment and its official.”

Lafontaine thanked everyone who has spoken up and supported her throughout the attacks and process of the investigation.

Tenille Lafontaine responds to the Lutheran Church of Canada’s news release announcing the resignation of pastor Todd Guggenmos. (Screenshot)

Tenille Lafontaine responds to the Lutheran Church of Canada’s news release announcing the resignation of pastor Todd Guggenmos. (Screenshot)