When most people think of a pastor, they often think of a role model. This often isn’t the case. Sure, while 99 percent may do good for society, there are handful that have caught themselves in trouble. Taking a look back in time, here are five famous scandals that led to a pastor’s arrest:
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Eddie Long
With several civil complaints filed against him, Eddie Long was arrested in late September of 2010. Using his powerful pastor position, Long would coerce men into sexual relationships. Throughout these relationships, he would hand out money, travel and other goods in exchange for a close and intimate relationship. While Long did get arrested, he never served any jail time. In late May of 2011, the matter was settled out of court. After the allegations were cleared, his wife of 21 years filed for divorce.
Jason Russell
In early March of 2012, Jason Russell was arrested for vandalizing cars and exposing himself in public at a busy intersection. During this incident, a passerby noticed this strange activity and immediately reported it to the local authorities. Russell was the co-founder of the popular company, Invisible Children, and he was also part of the viral video that featured Kony in Uganda.
Vaughn Reeves
Early in 2010, Vaughn Reeves was arrested and had to serve six consecutive year terms on fraud. Costing more than 2,900 investors close to 14 million dollars, Reeves targeted people that were over the age of 65. Running a phony investment scheme with his sons, Reeves would use his religion tactics to trick them into lending him money. He would use this money to buy bonds and mortgages for future church projects while pocketing more than 6 million for himself.
Ira Parmenter
Youth pastor Ira Parmenter was arrested in late 2012 when he was 33 years old. In early 2006, he was allegedly in an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year old girl, which her family reported to the local police. After a thorough investigation, he was immediately put under arrest. He was charged with sexually exploiting a child and faces more than 10 years in prison. He was released on bond and isn’t allowed to use any social networks or have contact with any girls under the age of 18. Parmenter’s next court date is set in November of 2012.
W.V. Grant
Proclaimed to be a pastor that could heal using supernatural powers, Grant was exposed during local TV news investigations that were done locally in Atlanta, Georgia, and Richmond, Virginia. Claiming to have abilities that could heal just about anything, the investigations proved to be false. While Grant wasn’t arrested for making these false claims, he was arrested in late 1996 on tax evasion charges. After getting out of jail, Grant was back to his old tricks. In 2010, a British television program once again claimed that his abilities proved to be false.
Rachel Powell is a crime scene investigator and guest author at OnlineChristianColleges.com, a site with information to help prospective students find Christian colleges.