Fundamentalist Pastor Arrested on Child Molestation Charges
An Indiana pastor was arrested after allegedly molesting multiple young girls.
Garry Evans, a fundamentalist pastor at Rushville Baptist Temple, allegedly lured children—some as young as 3—into his office where he would touch them inappropriately and made them touch him.
After a police investigation in September, Evans was charged with three counts of child molest, four counts of sexual battery, and five counts of child solicitation.
One family in the congregation reports three of their girls, ages 3, 5 and 7, were abused at the hands of the clergyman.
When the molestation accusations surfaced, other victims came forward, and four more children under the age of 10 said they were harmed by Evans.
According to one report, one girl said Evans touched her “nearly every time she went to church.” She said when she told Evans “No,” he just laughed. Another girl, according to the report, said Evans regularly touched her.
Rushville Police Chief Craig Tucker said a woman also came forward and said she had been molested by Evans decades ago, in a different community, The Indy Channel reports. That woman helped police pursue the new cases, but it is unclear if charges can be sought in hers.
“It’s mind-blowing to think that you should be able to send your children to church, and they should be safe,” a church neighbor says.
The arrest comes after media mogul Harvey Weinstein was forced to resign due to multiple sexual abuse allegations.
