A minister who also is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter was arrested and charged with indecent assault after he allegedly fondled a woman he was counseling.

The Rev. Charles N. Brown, 33, of Penn Hills, a pastor at Potter's House Ministries in Braddock, was arrested Monday by Monroeville police.

He was in the Allegheny County Jail on $50,000 bond.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Nov. 9 before Monroeville District Justice Walter Luniewski.

Attempts to contact Potter's House were unsuccessful. The Tribune-Review reported yesterday that Brown was suspended with pay pending further review of the allegations. Walt Kopec, the Tribune-Review human resources director, said he could not comment on a personnel matter.

Brown is accused of fondling a 28-year-old Monroeville woman after hypnotizing her during a counseling session. Police said the incident occurred in the woman's Monroeville apartment in May.

The victim, a former member of Potter's House, told police she began receiving counseling from Brown in February. She said Brown would come to her apartment and on one occasion brought his wife and children. She said Brown told her that he would always be there for her and she should treat him like a brother or father figure.

The sessions continued through April, but in May she said Brown told her he would like to try hypnosis.

The woman told police she had several sessions in which hypnosis was used and after each one had trouble sleeping, memory loss and recurring bad dreams. She also told police that during one of the hypnotic sessions while she "was out of it," she began to wake up and thought Brown was touching her inappropriately.

On June 3, she told police, she secretly videotaped a portion of the hypnotic session. Police said the video showed Brown holding the woman on his lap and kissing her and rubbing parts of her body.