Southern Baptist Convention list of accused sexual abusers includes 13 East Texas cases
TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has publicly released a list of hundreds of former pastors and other personnel accused of sexual abuse.
The 205-page database was released in response to an investigation looking into claims that the SBC mishandled sexual abuse reports and mistreated survivors. There are more than 700 entries detailing cases over the past two decades including the name of the accused abuser, as well as when, and where there’s a record of sexual abuse.
At the top of the list, Guidepost Solutions, the firm that compiled the database as a part of their investigation into sexual abuse within the SBC, stated the information is incomplete, hasn’t been adequately researched, and is not specific to the Southern Baptist denomination.
On that list are over a hundred cases stemming from Texas -- including 13 from East Texas.
- Joshua Lee Allen - A former pastor at Tyler Street Baptist Church in Jacksonville. In 2006, Allen was sentenced to four years in prison for possession of child pornography.
- Greg Dickens - Former youth group sponsor at First Baptist Church in Winona. Sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
- Tommy Gilmore - Former minister at First Baptist Church in Tyler. Not criminally charged, but accused of sexual assault in multiple states, including Texas.
- Russell Thomas Hirner - Former principal for Longview Baptist Christian Academy. Sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually abusing at least 7 girls.
- Kevin Laferney - Former youth minister at First Baptist Church in Glenwood. Serving a life sentence for aggravated sexual assault of a child.
- Matthew Allen McMurray - Former counselor at Timberline Baptist Camp in Lindale. Sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl.
- Billie Lewis Minson - Former Pastor of First Baptist Church in Swan. Pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual contact with a child.
- Jefferson Marion Moore, Jr. - Former pastor and owner of Dogwood City Daycare. Sentenced to life in prison for raping a child, sexually abusing two children at the daycare.
- Joe David Nelms - Former volunteer Bible study teacher at First Baptist Church in Lindale. Sentenced to one year in jail and five years of probation for of lewd acts with a minor in California before moving to Texas -- registered as a sex offender in Texas.
- Joshua Neal Ponder - Former youth minister with first Baptist Church of Mabank. Arrested for sexual assault of a teenager.
- Hezekiah Stallworth - Former pastor of Oak Grove Baptist Church in Elkhart and Beulah Baptist Church just south of Palestine. Serving a 20-year sentence for aggravated assault of a child and indecency with a child.
- Anthony Lynn Thibodeaux - Former pastor at Fairfield Missionary Baptist Church in Fairfield. Sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child by contact.
- Kennedy Eugene Ward - Former Pastor of Eastside Baptist in Henderson. Pleaded guilty to abusing a 7-year-old boy. Ward, now deceased, admitted to molesting more than 40 children, but the Texas statute of limitations had expired for all but one complaining victim.
The Southern Baptist Convention task force expects to announce its recommendation based on the entirety of the report at its convention next week.
The SBC published a .PDF version of the database on its website, which is downloadable here.
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