By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist church in Georgia denied allegations of negligence in a lawsuit alleging child sexual abuse by a former church volunteer later named as youth pastor. A civil lawsuit filed in Toombs County Superior Court alleges…
Former youth minister sentenced to prison
By Bob Allen A former Texas Baptist youth minister has been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for enticing a 13-year-old girl into a nine-month sexual relationship in 2014. Derek Hutter, 38, pleaded guilty in June to enticing a girl…
Lawsuit says church’s abuse cover-up caused suicide
By Bob Allen A Texas Baptist church is facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit filed by parents claiming sexual abuse by a youth minster in the 1990s led to their son’s death by suicide. A lawsuit filed in Dallas County District…
Judge revokes bond for accused youth pastor
By Bob Allen A Texas Baptist pastor told an Alabama judge Sept. 14 that he knew that a worship pastor he hired in April was facing criminal sex charges, but he didn’t know how many. Steve Knott, pastor of First…
Church questioned after hiring accused predator
By Bob Allen An Alabama judge has revoked the bond of a former youth pastor awaiting trial for sex crimes after media reports he was serving at a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship church in Texas. Advocates for survivors of child sexual…
Youth pastor’s arrest affects two churches
By Bob Allen Two prominent Southern Baptist churches in Oklahoma are cooperating with police after the arrest of a youth pastor charged with sending inappropriate text messages to four boys at his former congregation. Police in Shawnee, Okla., arrested Brian…
Former youth minister sentenced in third court
By Bob Allen A former Southern Baptist youth minister has been sentenced in a third Alabama county for sexually abusing young boys in the 1980s. Mack Allen Davis, 74, former youth pastor at Lakeside Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., was…
Former youth minister sentenced for sex crimes
By Bob Allen A judge in Cherokee County, Ala., has sentenced a former Southern Baptist youth minister to 10 years in prison for sex crimes, but it won’t add any time to the 15-year sentence he already received in another…
Man confesses to child porn; church disciplines his wife
By Bob Allen A Dallas megachurch has apologized to a wife subjected to church discipline for leaving her husband without permission after learning he is a pedophile. Elders of The Village Church, a multisite Southern Baptist congregation led by Acts…