TENNESSEE: Pastor Held On Suicide Watch After Allegations He Molested Two Underage Boys [VIDEO]

The Christian Post reports:

Ronnie Gorton, a married father and lead pastor of The Awakening Church in Atoka, Tennessee, has been taken in for a psychiatric evaluation after he allegedly threatened to take his life over accusations that he raped two underage boys.

Tipton County investigators told WMCActionNews5 that a 17-year-old boy came forward last week to allege that Gorton, 39, who has been married to his wife Rhonda for 15 years, sexually assaulted, molested, and raped him on multiple occasions. The Atoka Police Department also reported receiving a similar charge from a 20-year-old man who alleged that Gorton sexually assaulted him when he was underage.

Tipton County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Billy Daugherty told The Leader that the latest instance of alleged assault by the preacher took place on Jan. 31 and the case is a multi-jurisdictional investigation. Daugherty explained that no criminal charges have been filed against the pastor but he was taken into custody after he met with detectives last Wednesday. A friend reported that he was armed with a handgun and had threatened suicide.

The church has reportedly locked its doors and disabled its website and social media accounts.