(HOUSTON, Texas) -- An employee of a church in the Houston, Texas, area is charged with impersonating a public servant for allegedly pretending to be an ICE agent and threatening to deport a woman unless she paid him $500, according to court documents.
Donald Doolittle, 58, has served as the safety director of the Gateway Community Church of Webster, about 25 miles southeast of Houston, for 10 years, according to an affidavit filed with the Harris County District Court.
According to ABC Houston station KTRK, the alleged victim, identified in court documents as Rita Dumont Mayans, is a massage therapist.
According to a video of a Saturday court hearing obtained by ABC News, after receiving a massage last Thursday, Doolittle got into a disagreement with Mayans over his method of payment.
"And at that point, she said he pulled out an ID card labelled 'ICE,' stating he was an ICE agent who needs to see her ID," a magistrate said during the hearing.
Mayans showed Doolittle her temporary visa, according to the magistrate, after which Doolittle allegedly demanded money from Mayans.
"He demanded she Zelle him $500 or he would take her away and she would never see her family or children again," according to the magistrate.
Mayans sent Doolittle the money, after which he texted her that she would not hear from any other ICE agents, according to the magistrate.
Police learned of Doolittle's alleged actions when Mayans encountered officers at a luncheon the following day, according to KTRK.
Gateway Community Church told ABC News in a statement that Doolittle is no longer employed by them.
"Upon learning of these allegations on Saturday night, we took immediate steps to ensure the safety and well-being of our congregation and community. Donald Doolittle has since resigned from his position and is no longer a member of the church staff," the statement read, in part.
"We want to make it unequivocally clear that the actions Mr. Doolittle are accused of do not reflect the values of Gateway Community Church," the statement added.
Doolittle's bond is set at $10,000, according to court documents.
Neither Doolittle nor his attorneys responded to an ABC News request for comment.