The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Donny Raney, pastor of Okeechobee Missionary Baptist Church in Okeechobee, Florida, stands accused of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a teen girl at the school where he worked.
A middle school coach and pastor from Okeechobee has been arrested on suspicion of a romantic relationship with an 18-year-old student at the high school, the county’s school district and sheriff’s office said Thursday.
Donny Raney, 36, was arrested Wednesday and faces a charge of offenses against a student by an authority figure. Raney was booked into the Okeechobee County jail. He has since posted bond and has been released.
The sheriff’s office said a detective received information on April 12 from a woman who said her daughter, a student at the high school, about concerns she was having a relationship with Raney, including video of him on her cellphone.
The school district said on Friday it was contacted by a detective regarding inappropriate conduct between an individual who has served as a baseball and basketball coach from Yearling Middle School and an 18-year-old student.
“Mr. Raney has been removed from all coaching activities and contact with students,” the school district said in a news release posted on Facebook. “The district has notified the Office of Professional Practices for further sanctions.”
During an interview with Raney on Wednesday, the detective “asked him how he knew (redacted), to which he replied through chaplaincy and seeing her around the last year. He explained that he helps with chapel services during sports at the High School. He has never been her actual coach.”
Raney is listed as a pastor at Okeechobee Missionary Baptist Church on its Facebook page (which is currently inactive).
The detective said he questioned Raney about the cellphone video, which was located on the phone, sent by him. Raney explained he had a physical relationship with her.
Normally, the fact that the girl was eighteen would mean that this was a consensual adult relationship. However, Raney is an authority figure in this teenager’s life, thus he was charged with a sex crime.
Bruce Gerencser, 66, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 45 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Connect with me on social media:
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.
When conservatives start barking about grooming, I think of the copious numbers of Black Collar Crime features regarding clergy/deacons who target children at their churches, schools, communities.
Yes, this all seems a whole lot more prevalent than I could imagine ! Something is wrong with the culture, to have so many perverts running around. As for Raney, I wonder if the girl was 16 or 17 when this relationship first started. I kind of doubt it only began when she was 18. And is he also married ? These guys keep stepping out on their wives,when going after kids. Adultery AND molesting going on. The fanatics who object to this series should think about that.
Whether or not the girl was “of age” when the sexual relationship started, there is still the imbalance of power.