Religion

MI Pastor Pleads Guilty To Murder Of Trans Woman

Michigan Live reports: A former Michigan pastor has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection to the shooting death of a transgender woman nearly five years ago, authorities announced. Kelly Stough, 36, of Detroit, was shot to death around 6 a.m. on Dec. 7, 2018, in Detroit. Her body was discovered by a Detroit Police officer. Albert Weathers, then-46, of …

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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 …

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Drag Queen Tops iTunes Christian And Gospel Charts

The Messenger reports: There’s a new, unexpected name at the top of the Christian music charts. Drag queen Flamy Grant’s album Bible Belt Baby, released in October, is suddenly the No. 1 album on the iTunes Christian and Gospel chart. In addition, her song “Good Day” peaked at No. 1 alongside the album for a period. So, what’s going on? …

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Ohio Pastor Gets Two Years For Molesting His Daughters

Cleveland’s ABC affiliate reports: A Thompson Township pastor was sentenced to two years in prison Friday morning for sexually abusing his daughters. Dennis Laferty plead guilty to two counts of gross sexual imposition and one count of sexual imposition June 22. Laferty, 37, was indicted following an investigation by detectives into allegations of sexual abuse involving minors between Nov. 30 …

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AP Poll: 70% Of Americans Believe That Angels Exist

The Associated Press reports: Compared with the devil, angels carry more credence in America. Angels even get more credence than, well, hell. In fact, about 7 in 10 U.S. adults say they believe in angels, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. American’s belief in angels (69%) is about on par with belief …

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Ontario Catholic Priest Arrested On Child Sex Charges

Global News reports: A Catholic priest working in Peterborough, Ont., faces charges of sexual offences involving a youth following an investigation by police. According to the Peterborough Police Service, the investigation led to the arrest of a man on Wednesday. Neil Pereira, 33, of Peterborough, was charged with sexual assault and two counts of sexual interference. Pereira was released from …

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North Carolina Pastor Arrested On Child Sex Charges

High Point, North Carolina’s Fox affiliate reports: A former pastor is accused of sex crimes after an incident at the Piedmont Triad Farmer’s Market in Colfax on Sandy Ridge Road. Ivan Hugh-McDonald Peden, 71, is charged with taking indecent liberties with children, indecent exposure to a person under 16, sexual battery, and secret peeping. The crimes allegedly happened on June …

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FL Pastor Charged With Indecent Exposure To Child

Tampa’s NBC affiliate reports: A 76-year-old retired pastor is accused of exposing himself to a nine-year-old girl on July 21. According to a Pasco County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, the victim and her family were at a community pool in Wesley Chapel. As the girl was swimming nearby the suspect, Allen Farabee, had exposed his genitals and placed it in …

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Police: Pastor Murdered 8-Year-Old Pennsylvania Girl In 1975 After Kidnapping And Attempting To Rape Her

Atlanta’s NBC affiliate reports: An 83-year-old Marietta man who is a former pastor has been arrested in the cold case murder of an 8-year-old girl in Pennsylvania. Gretchen Harrington was attending Bible summer camp in 1975 in Marple Township when she vanished while walking from her home to one of the camp’s two locations. Skeletal remains were found at a …

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Christian Sports Ministry Leader Charged With Child Sex

Nashville’s NBC affiliate reports: The former executive director of Full Count Ministries is facing child sex crime charges following an investigation by the Hendersonville Police, who said they began investigating 40-year-old Jacob R. Oldham on July 15. In a statement, Full Count Ministries’ Board of Directors said Oldham was terminated Saturday morning after an internal investigation by the board. Oldham …

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IL Youth Pastor Gets 30 Years On Child Porn Charges

Illinois talk radio station WMIX reports: A former youth pastor of a Patoka church pleaded guilty Thursday in Fayette County Court to five of ten felony charges stemming from his involvement in a child pornography ring in Vandalia. Ferrell Kissiar, a former assistant pastor at the Pentecostal Church in Patoka was sentenced to a total of 30 years in prison …

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AL Anti-Abortion Leader Arrested On Child Sex Charges

The Birmingham News reports: A government relations employee with the Alabama Department of Education has been charged with sexual abuse of a child less than 12, according to court records. Cole Wagner, 32, of Montgomery, was arrested Wednesday on the charge. He was arrested by the Montgomery County sheriff’s department, according to the warrant. His bond was set at $60,000. …

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California Pastor Arrested In Underage Sex Sting

Los Angeles’s CW affiliate reports: A minister and former teacher in Ventura County has been charged with multiple felony counts of child abuse, including accusations that he tried to meet up with a 15-year-old girl for sex. Barry Fike, 67, of Fillmore, was arrested on Monday following an investigation by the Ventura County Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. …

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Christian Camp Counselor Gets 7 Years For Child Sex

The Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune reports: A 33-year-old Wisconsin Rapids man was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison for inappropriately touching a child while he was a counselor at a Christian camp. Remington J. Nystrom pleaded no contest to a charge of second-degree sexual assault of a child on April 12, which was the day he was scheduled to …

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Texas Baptist Pastor Arrested On Child Sex Charges

The Tyler Morning Telegraph reports: An East Texas pastor has been arrested on accusations of indecency with a child. Timothy Nall, 68, of Hollylake Ranch, was booked Monday into the Smith County Jail on a charge of indecency with a child by sexual contact. Charges were brought forth by Wood County, according to online jail records. Nall is the pastor …

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Brooklyn Priest Sentenced To Five Years For Child Porn

From the Justice Department: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that FRANCIS HUGHES, a former pastor at a religious institution in Queens, New York, was sentenced to five years in prison by U.S. District Judge Philip M. Halpern for his receipt of images of child pornography from a 15-year-old minor in …

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Kenyan Jesus Starvation Cult Death Toll Rises To 403

The Associated Press reports: The number of people who died in connection with Kenya’s doomsday cult has crossed the 400 mark as detectives exhumed 12 more bodies on Monday believed to be followers of a pastor who ordered them to fast to death in order to meet Jesus. Pastor Paul Mackenzie, who is linked to the cult based in a …

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Cops: Priest “Anointed” Man’s Genitals With Holy Oil

The Telegraph reports: Greek police have arrested an Orthodox priest on the island of Rhodes for allegedly molesting a male tourist by “anointing” his genitals with holy oil. The holidaymaker encountered the priest, 49, when he visited a monastery on the island with his girlfriend earlier this week. The priest invited him into a small reception room in the monastery …

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Maryland Pastor Charged With Raping Adult Human

Washington DC’s Fox affiliate reports: Police have arrested and charged a pastor in Montgomery County with rape. According to police, this all stems from an incident on September 29th, 2020, at the Iglesia Pentecostal El Fin Viene on the 7500 block of New Hampshire Ave. in Takoma Park. Serving pastor, 39-year-old Erick Odir Vidal-Fuentes was charged with second-degree rape and …

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Catholic Priest Gets Five Years For Child Molestation

The Guardian reports: The former chaplain of a Roman Catholic high school in Louisiana has pleaded guilty to molesting two minors whom he met through his work and was ordered to spend five years in prison. Patrick Wattigny’s plea and sentence on Wednesday came after both of his victims strongly advocated for a harsher punishment. One victim, who was present, …

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