Back at the end of June, the Tennessee Department of Children's Services informed the Sheriff's Office in one county that it was investigating an assistant pastor in a neighboring county. The agency claimed that the individual's influence in his county made it unrealistic to conduct an investigation regarding allegations of sexual misconduct made against him. On Oct. 17, he was indicted for sexually abusing and raping two young girls.
The girls are said to be ages 12 and 17. The Tennessee man is accused of raping them both at his home and the church sometime between July 2014 and July 2016 with the last claimed encounter being on June 21. It is unknown why the two girls did not come forward earlier.
Supposedly, the family attempted to confront the assistant pastor with their allegations. They claim that the meeting resulted in the former first responder and law enforcement officer threatening their lives. According to the indictment, he faces two counts of violation of the child protection act, two counts of sexual battery by an authority figure and one count each of aggravated sexual battery and rape of a child.
The accused assistant pastor is facing severe penalties if convicted of these crimes. Despite the charges, this man is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty in a court of law, just as any other Tennessee resident would be when facing criminal charges. Nevertheless, allegations of sexual misconduct such as the ones against this man can have a profound effect on the accused individual's life even if they are found not guilty in a court of law.
Source: knoxnews.com, "Roane pastor charged with sexual abuse, rape of girls", Nov. 1, 2016
