BAKERSFIELD -- A man who sheriff's officials say is a pastor at a local church has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex crimes against a child, and it's not the first time he had faced claims like this.

Leonard Simental is charged with lewd or lascivious acts against a child he met at an East Bakersfield church.

While he has never been convicted of a sex crime, court records show he has faced seven different charges over the past 12 years for sex crimes against young children in Bakersfield.

Sheriff's say he committed a sex crime against a child he met at The Word of Life Worship Center on Bernard Street.

Sheriff's say he is known as a pastor there, through church officials say he is not.

Today Simental pleaded not guilty in court Thursday.

Court documents show that this situation is not a new one for Simental.

In 1990, he was arrested for child molestation, but was not convicted.

Then in 2003, he was arrested and charged with six counts of lewd and lascivious acts on two young children, whom he met at another East Bakersfield church. He was also found not guilty.

He does however have a conviction for burglary.

Prosecutors may be able to bring up these prior cases in the upcoming trial, in hopes of strengthening their chances for a conviction.