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ATLANTA — Southern Baptist Convention church leaders released Thursday a secret list of hundreds of pastors and other church-affiliated personnel accused of sexual abuse.
Southern Baptist is the largest Protestant denomination in America. A 288-page report released Sunday by Guidepost Solutions found that the church ignored claims of sexual abuse by ministers and church leaders over the past 20 years and kept a database of alleged abusers.
The database contained more than 700 entries from cases that largely spanned from 2000 to 2019. Channel 2 Action News went through all 205 pages of the database and found at least 40 of the alleged abusers have connections to Georgia.
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Although his name was not listed in the database, the Guidepost Solutions’ report also included allegations that Johnny Hunt, a Georgia-based pastor and former SBC president, sexually assaulted another pastor’s wife during a beach vacation in 2010.
Hunt has disputed the allegation, saying in a statement that he has “never abused anybody.”
The database itself contains information largely pulled from news articles compiled from 2007 until 2022 and not all cases are Southern Baptist-specific. Some of the names have been redacted.
David Pittman is a survivor of years of sexual abuse inside DeKalb County Church, and later formed a nonprofit to help other survivors.
He told Channel 2′s Richard Elliot that he was not surprised by the investigation which revealed the SBC’s executive board seemed more concerned about liability than exposing sexual predators.
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“So they covered it up. They lied. So it’s … you’re furious. You’re just furious,” Pittman said. “They had the ability. They had the information. They chose not to share it. They chose to allow these predators to go from place to place.”
Elliot also reached out to Mike Griffin of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. He said the church is grappling with the same issues other institutions are facing.
“It’s kind of like anything. Once it initially goes off, you know, there’s a lot of smoke and dust right now,” Griffin said.
He insists, they’ve been working to change Georgia laws so survivors can go after their abusers — even years after the crimes — and hopes the church will learn from this scandal.
“I think once it clears, people are going to say, ‘OK. This is an issue. This is something we need to address,’” Griffin said.
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Griffin believes Georgia Baptists have done better than most by not ignoring accusations and allegations.
That’s something Pittman disputes.
Pittman told Elliot that his alleged abuser’s name is not on the list and said he is still a minister in Georgia.
Here is the list of Georgia cases listed on the database in alphabetical order and how the church documented them. The full 205-page database can be found here.
Perez Blackmon, abuse reported in 2010
The Albany Herald reported Rosinvick Missionary Baptist Church in Blakely, Georgia knowingly hired Blackmon, a registered sex offender. Blackmon did not admit guilt but pleaded to a statutory rape charge rather than face a jury on charges of child molestation and rape. On the statutory rape guilty plea, Blackmon was given 120 days in jail and 15 years on probation.
Kevin DeRosa, abuse reported in 1994
DeRosa, 33, a former youth minister at Western Hills Baptist Church in Cobb County, was convicted of molesting several male teens between 1992-93. He was in Paulding County jail on similar charges. He is listed on the Georgia Sex Offenders Registry.
Robert Smith Dorsett, abuse reported in 1999
In 1999, Robert Smith Dorsett, 65, was sentenced to 30 years in prison when he pleaded guilty to 15 sex crimes against seven boys between 1970-1998. Dorsett was a former youth minister and training director at FBC in Augusta, Georgia. He is registered sex offender in South Carolina.
Alexander Lawrence Edwards, abuse reported in 2016
Alexander Edwards was arrested on charges of molesting an 11-year-old Marietta boy. He worked as a volunteer youth minister at Eastside Baptist Church. He was convicted of two counts of sexual battery in 2017 and ordered to serve three years in prison with credit for time served on Aug. 18, 2017. He is a registered sex offender in Georgia.
Gunther Fiek, abuse reported in 2001
Gunther Fiek was a martial arts Sunday School and soccer camp instructor at Eastside Baptist Church in Marietta. In 2001, Fiek was sentenced to more than 90 years after being convicted of 21 different felony offenses, including aggravated child molestation and felony child molestation, according to his Georgia prison and court records.
Derek Gillett, abuse reported in 2008
Derek Gillett pleaded guilty to two child molestation charges in May 2008 and sentenced to 10 years in prison with 10 years probation. Gillett was a pastor at Cornerstone Community Church in Forsyth County and previously was a youth director at Midway United Methodist Church in Alpharetta. He is a registered Sex Offender in Georgia.
Tommy Gilmore, abuse reported in 2006
Tommy Gilmore was accused of sexually assaulting a teen in 1968. The alleged victim settled a civil suit with FBC Farmers Branch in Texas. Gilmore was a former employee at FBC in Atlanta.
James Benjamin Harris, abuse reported in 2012
James Benjamin Harris was a volunteer middle school Sunday School teacher and youth counselor at Brookwood Baptist Church in Lawrenceville. The church said he passed a background check. In 2012, Harris was convicted on three counts of child molestation and one of enticing a child for indecent purposes in Gwinnett County, He was sentenced to 12 years in confinement, three years probation on first charge and 15 years probation on remaining three charges.
Jeffery D. Heberlein, abuse reported in 2009
Jeffery D. Heberlein pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl from 2003-2004. He served as a pastor at Akers Chapel Church in Plainville, GA, Mount Gilead and Berdan Baptist churches in Greene County.
Larry Michael Holmes, abuse reported in 2001
In 2001, Larry Michael Holmes, a former minister at Bishop Baptist Church in Oconee County, was convicted of abusing a 14-yr-old girl. He was registered as a sex offender in Georgia for 2001 convictions of aggravated child molestation and child molestation.
Joshua Humphrey, abuse reported in 2010
In 2010, Joshua Humphrey, 21, was charged with two counts of sodomy, aggravated child molestation, enticing a child for indecent purposes, public indecency, cruelty to children and simple battery. Zion Baptist Church in Braselton said Humphrey was not a youth leader, but was in the process of being checked out and interviewed for the position. The church had not yet run a criminal background check. Humphrey pleaded guilty to two counts of child molestation and was sentenced to 20 years.
Antoine Louis Jenkins, abuse reported in 2012
In 2008, Antoine Louis Jenkins posed as a girl on MySpace to lured two boys (ages 13 and 14) and attempting to lure a third (age 15) out of their homes at night for sexual encounters. He then molested then boys. The database listed him as a intern summer camp organizer at Hebron Baptist Church. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 after being convicted of 19 felony charges, including three counts of aggravated child molestation, 11 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, two counts of child molestation and three other charges.
Carlton Johnson, abuse reported in 2007
Carlton Johnson, a former choir director at Good Shepherd Baptist Church in Augusta, GA, was a teacher’s aide who was tried and acquitted of sexual battery against a 6-year-old in 1994 and 14-year-old in 2002.
Daniel Lewis Kent, abuse reported in 2015
Daniel Louis Kent, a youth leader at First Baptist Church in Duluth, was arrested and charged with four counts of electronic transfer of obscene material to a minor. He was not charged for having sexual contact with a teen because the age of consent in Georgia is 16.
Michael Lee Krug, abused reported in 2002
Michael Lee Krug, an associate pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Columbus, GA, pleaded guilty to aggravated child molestation and two counts of child molestation. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 15 years probation and released. He is not listed as a registered sex offender in Georgia.
James Louis Kubicek, abuse reported in 2011
James Louis Kubicek, a youth minister at First Baptist Church in Valdosta, was convicted of child molestation, sexual exploitation of a child and enticing a child for indecent purposes. Sentenced to 20 years on the first charge, five years on the second charge and 10 years on the third charge.
William C. Lewis, abuse reported in 2015
William C. Lewis, a youth pastor at First Jordan Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Brunswick, GA, was arrested on two counts of child molestation. He was convicted in 2017 of sexual battery against Child Under 16 years. He is a registered sex offender.
Mark Kit Lucas, abuse reported in 2009
Mark Kit Lucas worked as an organist and youth minister at Woodlawn Baptist Church in Garden City, Georgia. He was charged with aggravated sexual battery in an assault of a youth. He registered as a sex offender in Georgia for a 2011 child molestation conviction.
Charles Randy May, abuse reported in 2016
Charles Randy May was a volunteer leader for a children’s ministry at New Victoria Baptist Church in Woodstock. He was sentenced to 20 years on Oct. 21, 2016, after pleading guilty to four charges including two counts of aggravated sexual battery, aggravated sodomy and exploitation of a disabled adult, according to Cherokee County records.
James Calvin McCurry, abuse reported in 1990
James Calvin McCurry, a former pastor at Greater Zion Hills Baptist Church in Smyrna, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for abusing an 11-year-old girl between 1985-86, according an The Atlanta Journal and Constitution report in 1990.
Thomas McGowan, abuse reported in 1988
In 1988, Thomas McGowan was sentenced to three years in prison and 17 years probation for sexually abusing two girls. He worked as a pastor at New Grace Baptist Church in Powder Springs. He also worked at Morning View Baptist in Rockmart and reportedly left two prior churches amid allegations.
Jimmie Lee Mills, abuse reported in 2004
In 2004, Jimmie Lee Mills, a church volunteer at Providence Baptist Church in Augusta, was accused of abusing a 10-year-old and 11-year-old girls.
Jacob Alan Morris, abuse reported in 2009
Jacob Alan “Jake” Morris, 25, began serving a maximum sentence of life in Georgia State prison in 2010 after being convicted of 11 sex crimes in Hall and Douglas counties. He worked as the children’s director at Concord Baptist Church in Clermont, Georgia. Morris is the son of Senior Pastor Alan Morris.
Kevin Ogle, abuse reported in 2007
In 2006, Kevin Ogle, a former pastor at Northgate Colonial Baptist Church in Camden, South Carolina, was arrested for cyber sex with officer who he thought was a 14-year-old girl. Ogle pleaded guilty to 15 charges of sexual exploitation of children and was sentenced to five years with 20 years probation. He registered as a sex offender in South Carolina for a sexual exploitation of children conviction from Georgia.
Douglas Randall Pope, abuse reported in 2011
Douglas Randall Pope, a youth pastor at Merrywood Baptist Church in Statesboro, Georgia pleaded guilty to child molestation. He registered as a sex offender in Georgia.
Norman Anthony Pugh, abuse reported in 2009
Norman Anthony Pugh, a youth minister at Arnoldsville Baptist Church in Arnoldsville, Georgia, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 13 years in prison with another seven years on probation for inappropriately touching a 13-year-old girl. He was previously acquitted in November 2006 on charges of molesting another teenage church member.
Shannon Rhodes, abuse reported in 2002
In 2002, Shannon Rhodes, a youth minister at Sunrise Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, was found guilty of abusing a 14-year-old girl.
Matthew Brent Sheffield, abuse reported in 2014
Matthew Brent Sheffield, a volunteer at First Baptist Church in Canton, pleaded guilty to a sex crime. He received eight years of probation for sending illicit text messages and making sexually suggestive comments to male students. He registered as a sex offender in Georgia for two 2014 convictions following guilty pleas involving sexual battery of a child under 16, court and state records show.
John Samuel Stafford, abuse reported in 2016
John Samuel Stafford, a janitor at Eastside Baptist Church in Marietta, GA, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor sexual battery conviction and received a 12-month jail sentence. He only had to serve 30 days in jail and 11 months of the sentence on probation.
Phillip Glenn Terrell, abuse reported in 2010
Phillip Glenn Terrell, a youth pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Gainesville, pleaded guilty in 2010 to molesting two teenage boys. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Forsyth County. The sentence runs concurrent with the Hall County sentence, meaning Terrell will serve a total of 18 years in prison, with credit for three years spent in jail awaiting trial. He also must serve 32 years on probation after his release from prison, with more than 20 restrictions that include no contact with minors.
Henry Bazil Waters, abuse reported in 1989
Henry Bazil Waters was convicted for sexually abusing three boys in 1989. Waters had an unknown position at Grace Baptist Temple Church in Statesboro, Georgia.
Dwight Gregory Watson, abuse reported in 2016
Dwight Gregory Watson, 43, was arrested with 50 counts of sexual exploitation of children. His computers were allegedly found to contain videos and images related to child porn. He pleaded guilty to all 10 counts of sexual child exploitation. He was sentenced to 60 years with the first five years being served in jail and the remainder to be served on probation.
Larry William Whitley, abuse reported in 2009
Larry William Whitley, was convicted of child molestation and aggravated sodom. In 2002, he fled Douglasville violating his probation and failing to register as a sex offender. He fled to Knoxville, Tennessee where he volunteered at a local Baptist church. In 2009, he was caught.
Charles S. Woodall, abuse reported in 2017
Charles S. Woodall was convicted in 2017 on 11 felony charges, including child molestation, enticing a child for indecent purposes and violation of the oath of public office. Woodall was a former youth leader at Northway Church on Zebulon Road in Macon.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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