Ralph Stair, pastor of The Overcomer Ministry in Walterboro, South Carolina, is under investigation after a video surfaced showing him fondling a pre-teen girl’s breasts during a church service. A second girl has come forward claiming Stairs sexually molested her. Stairs was arrested in 2002 on charges of “sexual assault for improperly touching two young female church members.” The charges were reduced to assault and battery and Stair was given two thirty-day sentences, Overcomer Ministry’s website calls Stair “The Voice of the Last Day Prophet of God.”
Harve Jacobs, a reporter for Channel 5 News, writes:
A Lowcountry preacher is under investigation after a video surfaced that allegedly shows him touching an underage girl during a church service.
The Colleton County Sheriff’s Office and State Law Enforcement Division are investigating the Rev. Ralph Stair.
The investigation into Stair began on Oct. 2 after the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a video that came from a woman with a relative who is reportedly a member of Stair’s Overcomer Ministry in Canadys.
A man who narrates the video says he used to belong to the church.
“He is a master manipulator and although he calls it a church, as a former member let me assure you that it is a cult,” the narrator says.
The narrator says the video is a collection of clips from church services between July 1 and Oct. 1 of this year. The video appears to depict the 84-year old Stair telling a girl to get up and come to him.
“I’m gonna touch your, uh, what do you call them?” he says. The girl whispers something into his ear. “I never heard them called that anymore. I call them breasts. Lady has a problem with breasts.”
In another part of the video, Stair calls up another girl.
“How old are you hon?” he asks her. “Twelve, getting right close to it now.”
Then Stair tells her to come back up.
“Come here, I’ll show you, just look, look here,” he says.
Stair has the 12-year-old face the audience. In the video, Stair places his hand between her breasts.
“Growing up,” he says.
The video shows Stair cupping the 12-year-old’s right breast. Then she goes back to her seat.
“I’m gonna touch those things till nobody else can touch ’em,” he says.
In 2002, Stair was arrested on charges of sexual assault for improperly touching two young female church members.
Stair eventually agreed to plead guilty to reduced charges of assault and battery and was given two 30-day sentences with credit for time already spent in jail.
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Access to Stair’s compound is blocked by a gate. When contacted for a comment on these latest accusations, an employee of Overcomer Ministry said Stair was not available.
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The sheriff’s office has watched the video along with a second video in which a 16-year-old girl claims she was molested by Stair when she belonged to the church.
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Update
On December 18, 2017, ABC-4 reported:
A Colleton County pastor has been arrested on multiple charges, including three counts of 1st degree criminal sexual conduct, and one count of 3rd degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
Ralph G. Stair, 84, the leader of Colleton County-based Overcomer Ministry, is in jail at the Colleton County Detention Center after his arrest shortly before 8 a.m. Monday, according to CCSO spokesman, Lt. Tyger Benton.
Deputies arrested Stair after serving warrants on eight charges, which are as follows:
- 3 counts – 1st degree Criminal Sexual Conduct (CSC)
- 1 count – Assault with intent to commit 1st degree criminal sexual conduct
- 1 count – 3rd degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor
- 1 count – Kidnapping
- 1 count – 1st degree burglary
- 1 count – 2nd degree assault
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These videos seem to be enough probably cause for the sheriff to raid the compound and get some kind of legal case moving. What are they waiting for??!!