For the second year in a row, a bill proposed by Missouri House Rep. Brian Seitz (R) aiming to reform the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse has been unanimously approved by a committee in the House…
Eight more former residents of the Lord’s Ranch come forward about alleged sexual abuse
Note: This article includes descriptions of child sexual abuse. Eight more former residents of the Lord’s Ranch residential treatment facility in Warm Springs, Ark., have come forward in a multi-plaintiff lawsuit filed by the Romanucci and Blandin and Gillispie Law…
Arizona judge rules church leaders are not responsible for reporting sexual abuse
Should religious leaders be held responsible for disclosing to law enforcement knowledge that church members are committing acts of sexual abuse? On Friday, Arizona Judge Timothy Dickerson answered no. Dickerson’s end-of-week ruling dismissed a high-profile child sexual abuse lawsuit against…
SBC leadership group reserves judgment about churches named in media reports about abuse
A Southern Baptist Convention leadership group announced on Saturday it has cleared seven of 10 churches called out by SBC President J.D. Greear for possible “wanton disregard” of sexual abuse.
Former staffer at SBC megachurch charged with child sex crime
A former children’s minister at a Southern Baptist megachurch in Texas has been indicted and is being prosecuted for indecency with a child stemming from allegations involving a minor at a church youth camp in 2012. Matthew David Tonne, 35,…
Church volunteer charged with child sex abuse has worked with kids before
Before volunteering to work with children at NewSpring Church in North Charleston, South Carolina, Jake Hazlett frequented other multi-site megachurches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention that don’t include the word “Baptist” in their name.
Lawsuit says church missed child abuse caught on security camera
A South Carolina megachurch is under scrutiny after the arrest of a church volunteer reportedly caught on security video molesting 14 preschoolers in the last three months.
Calls mounting for removal of judge who allowed lenient plea deal for church camp rapist
Opposition is mounting against an Oklahoma judge who approved a plea deal allowing a man who raped a 13-year-old girl while volunteering at a Baptist church camp to avoid prison.
Pastor charged with failure to report child abuse
A Baptist pastor in Alabama faces misdemeanor charges for allegedly failing to report suspicion of child sex abuse to legal authorities. Michael Walker, 51, pastor of Southside Baptist Church in Huntsville, Ala., was booked into Madison County Jail Sept. 21…