KENOSHA, Wis. — Daybreak Church founder and lead pastor Brit Windel issued a lengthy public response Thursday morning to Kenosha County Eye’s reporting about Dale Robert Nixon, 43, disputing KCE’s description of Nixon as a youth pastor and criticizing KCE’s reporting. But Windel’s own statement confirms Nixon was a five-year church elder who worked with children, that church leadership knew of his arrest Tuesday and knew what Windel called the “horrific details” of the case.

Nixon was arrested Tuesday by Kenosha Police Department Sensitive Crimes detectives. Jail records list felony allegations of incest with a child related by blood or adoption and repeated sexual assault of the same child involving at least three alleged violations of first-degree sexual assault.

Windel accused KCE of making “inaccurate and misleading” claims and took particular issue with KCE reporting that he declined to comment.

Windel said KCE’s email arrived at 7:01 p.m. Wednesday, that he went to bed shortly after 8 p.m. and did not see the email until after KCE’s story was published at 9:35 p.m.

Even accepting Windel’s explanation that he went to bed at 8 p.m., approximately 13½ hours passed before he issued his public response around 9:30 a.m. Thursday. Windel still did not provide that response directly to KCE, the media outlet that had specifically requested his comment.

Windel’s account also omits KCE’s other attempts to reach him. KCE attempted to contact Windel by telephone and text message Wednesday in addition to sending the email. Those attempts received no response.

Instead, after KCE’s story was published, Windel issued a lengthy public response defending himself and Daybreak Church.

Windel also objected to Nixon being called a “youth pastor,” saying Nixon “has never been on staff and has never held that title.” Windel instead described Nixon as a “background checked youth volunteer/co-leader” whose primary youth responsibility was serving one Sunday each month for approximately 40 minutes in a large-group setting.

Windel then disclosed a significant additional detail: Nixon had been an elder at Daybreak Church for the past five years.

KCE acknowledges Windel’s clarification regarding Nixon’s formal title and will describe him going forward by the positions Windel says he actually held. However, whether Nixon’s formal title was “youth pastor,” “youth volunteer” or “co-leader” does not change the underlying issue: according to Windel himself, Nixon was a longtime church elder entrusted with responsibilities involving children.

Windel’s statement also establishes a significant timeline.

According to Windel, Daybreak knew about Nixon’s arrest Tuesday. Windel said he immediately met with the Kenosha Police Department and has remained in close contact with the lead detective. He also said members of the congregation received a communication from him at 8:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Windel further acknowledged knowing the “horrific details of this case.”

Despite that knowledge, Daybreak did not publicly address the broader Kenosha community until after KCE published its report Wednesday night, nearly two days after Nixon’s arrest.

Windel did provide an unequivocal answer Thursday to one of the questions KCE had attempted to ask him Wednesday. He said Nixon was “immediately removed from all DayBreak Church responsibilities” upon his arrest and would never be permitted continued access to students or other children within the church.

Windel also disputed KCE’s reporting concerning Nixon’s online presence. He said Daybreak had removed nothing from its Facebook page or website and wrote, “if there is nothing now, it was because there was nothing before.”

KCE is reviewing that assertion and will update its reporting as appropriate based on the available records.

Windel also denied attempting to keep Nixon’s arrest quiet and said transparency is a requirement under the circumstances.

KCE agrees that transparency is essential, particularly when a longtime church elder who worked with children is arrested on allegations this serious. That is precisely why KCE sought answers about Nixon’s position, his access to children, what church leadership knew and what steps Daybreak had taken.

Windel’s Thursday statement provides several of those answers.

It confirms Nixon was a five-year Daybreak elder who worked with children. It confirms church leadership knew about Nixon’s arrest Tuesday and was aware of what Windel himself described as the “horrific details.” It confirms Nixon was immediately stripped of his church responsibilities and will not be permitted access to children through Daybreak.

Those facts are substantially more important than the semantic dispute over whether Nixon’s formal title was “youth pastor.”