Joe.My.God. LGBT News
The Minnesota Star-Tribune reports:
Jackson Gatlin, dressed in a dark suit with his hands cuffed behind his back, was led by authorities from the courtroom Wednesday morning after pleading guilty to felony-level criminal sexual conduct in a case where numerous women have come forward with similar accusations of being sexually assaulted as girls when he was their youth leader at the Vineyard Church.
As part of a deal, Gatlin pleaded guilty to one count and on four others entered an Alford plea — in which he maintains innocence but admits there is sufficient evidence for him to be found guilty during a trial.
The courtroom was at capacity for the hearing, with several victims sitting together in a row. Gatlin, 36, will be sentenced during separate hearings Nov. 25-26. He will likely serve 13 years in prison and have to register as a sex offender.
From my September 2023 report:
Gatlin is the son of former pastors Michael and Brenda Gatlin. The couple resigned earlier this year amid concerns that they failed to act. According to a timeline of the church’s response to the allegations, church leaders fired Jackson Gatlin in February for refusing to meet with private investigators whom the church had hired.
In another alleged incident, prosecutors said that in late 2007, Gatlin invited a 16-year-old girl to his parents’ house to watch football. He allegedly pinned the teen to a futon and forcibly penetrated her vagina with his fingers.
After her mother found the teen barefoot in the street crying, the woman called Brenda Gatlin, who allegedly said “we know your daughter has issues,” and hung up the phone.
Hit the first link for much more.
Several investigations were initiated, with court filings indicating the Gatlins allowed their son to use the church’s youth group as a “hunting ground” to “(prey) on underage girls with no consequences for years”https://t.co/zsQ6SDoqHo
— la chute du titane 🗳️🗳️🗳️ (@erranttraveller) November 7, 2024