HONOLULU -- Police say an Oahu minister facing charges of assaulting an underage member of his congregation may also be guilty of similar acts at a Portland, Ore., commune he once headed.

Manuel Taboada remained in custody Wednesday night at the Oahu Community Correctional Center on $2 million bail, accused of molesting a 12-year-old girl and continuing the abuse for nearly eight years.

Investigators in Portland said they believe Taboada first headed a commune there, where members also allegedly had inappropriate contact with children between 1994 and 1999.

Taboada moved his ministry to Hawaii in 1999, investigators said. Prosecutors said he shared his large Kaneohe home with congregation members and often took in immigrant families.

"The people that were always there, they were always peaceful and kind," said Ruth Okamura, one of Taboada's neighbors.

Taboada's Web site, called "Back to the Cross," said the minister is a rags-to-riches immigrant from Peru and that he devotes his life to God and preaches against the way of the flesh.

A webcast on the site features Taboada saying, "It's much easier to close your eyes and look the other way than to begin to see how ugly we are, how wretched."

Taboada pleaded not guilty to charges of long-term sexual abuse of the girl. His trial is scheduled to start in January.

Portland police said they have located at least six more alleged sexual assault victims. They are also investigating 16 others suspected of molesting children.