Police: IN Pastor Wanted For Child Rape Is On The Run

Indianapolis’s Fox affiliate reports:

A former Madison County councilman who is accused of raping an underage girl in 2020 is being sought by police after he failed to show up for his appointed court date.

According to court records, former councilman Steve Sumner, 55, was set to appear in Madison County court on Thursday. After failing to show, the court issued a warrant for Sumner’s arrest.

Charging documents accuse Sumner of a litany of charges related to child sex crimes. Online court records show he currently faces 15 felony charges that include child seduction, possession of child pornography, child molestation and rape.

The Anderson Herald Bulletin reports:



It is believed that former Madison County Councilman Steve Sumner has fled the state of Indiana. An informed source that didn’t want to be identified said Monday that Sumner has left Indiana after failing to appear at a court hearing last week.

“I have no idea why my client did not show up,” Sumner’s attorney Cody Cogswell said. Cogswell was recently appointed to represent Sumner after attorney Bob Summerfield withdrew from the case.

Sumner was elected to the Madison County Council from District 2 in 2018 and resigned from his seat on the council in 2021. He also served as a pastor with the Lighthouse Church in Anderson.