He [Barack Obama] is pulling together his SES, his private army. I have sources—and I think one or two of them might go on the record eventually — where Obama’s secret military force … is now partnering with MS-13 and they are going to serve as the Fifth Column when the United States is involved in a war and we will see political assassinations of law enforcement, of political opposition people. It will be the same kind of purge that Hitler put upon the communists when he burned down the Reichstag.
This is what is coming. What he hopes will happen, and this is something that I have also been told, is that the United States goes under the United Nations as a protectorate because we are in chaos and they take us over in a martial law move. What we will see is Obama installed as the leader of the United States under UN protectorate laws.”
— Dave Hodges, host of the radio program “The Common Sense Show,” quote from Hodges’ appearance on Sheila Zilinsky’s “Weekend Vigilante” podcast
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.
Barbara L. Fouts, church treasurer for Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church in Dennison, Ohio, has been accused stealing almost $25,000 from church accounts.
The Times Reporter states:
A 56-year-old woman who served as treasurer of Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church for 25 years has been charged with two counts of grand theft, accused of taking more than $24,000 from the church over five years.
Defendant Barbara L. Fouts, of the Dennison area, has pleaded not guilty to the Nov. 20 indictment. Her next court date is March 21, when a pretrial conference is scheduled with Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Judge Edward O’Farrell.
The alleged theft was found after a change in church leadership, according to assistant county prosecutor Scott Deedrick.
“A new pastor was installed at the church and quickly determined that there were issues concerning the finances,” Deedrick told The Times-Reporter in an email. “Inquiries by he and others were unanswered. Certain officers including the defendant ultimately resigned their positions leading to the installation of other officers. The information/documentation that they were able to obtain was incomplete, questions remained unanswered and new questions arose.
“This led to the (church) having a forensic accounting of the records that could be cobbled together.”
The audit investigating the suspected embezzlement covered the five-year period ending Dec. 31, 2016, Deedrick said.
“The accountant found that there were $63,299.60 in disbursements that could not be accounted for due to lack of records,” Deedrick wrote. “There were $43,911.72 of disbursements not authorized by the (church board).”
Of this amount, $33,769.55 was disbursed by Fouts in her role as church treasurer, Deedrick said.
“Of that amount, $24,283.67 is alleged to have been disbursed by (Fouts) to herself or for her benefit,” Deedrick said. “It is this amount that forms the basis for the indictment in this matter. The (church) received insurance proceeds of $10,000.”
Greg Locke, famous for his insane sermon videos about everything from Starbucks’ cups to Target’s bathrooms, evidently has divorced from his wife and taken up with a new woman — his secretary. Locke, pastor of Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, took to the pulpit to defend (without mentioning it) his pending divorce:
Locke is right about many things he says in this video. People shouldn’t stay married to abusers and the like just because some preacher (or the Bible) told them to do so. Life is too short to spend it mired in unhappy, loveless marriages. The problem, of course, is that Locke is a Bible-thumping Evangelical who supposedly believes the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God, and the Bible is clear: God hates divorce; Moses permitted male (not female) Israelites to divorce only because of the hardness of their hearts; Jesus gave only one grounds for divorce, adultery. And the Bible is also clear that Evangelicals who divorce are forbidden to marry again; and that remarrying is adultery, an act the Bible says damns a person to hell. It seems, then, that Locke is not such a big Bible believer after all, that the Spirit that leads him is his Holy Dick, not the Holy Spirit.
I have no idea about how Locke and his wife got along with each other. Maybe their divorce was justified. But, if a man is going to stand in the pulpit and say, THUS SAITH THE LORD, then he sure as heaven should believe every word of the Bible and practice it in his day-to-day life; and if he doesn’t he shouldn’t be surprised when he is called a skirt-chasing hypocrite.
According to Fundamentalist website Pulpit & Pen, Locke’s wife was the one who filed for divorce, and the good pastor just went along with it so he could get a quick dissolution of their marriage. On to new things — a new woman and a new car:
Indeed, it was Locke’s wife who filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences”. However, court records clearly show that Locke responded in agreement. In arranging what could fairly be called a “quickie divorce” Locke filed documentation with the court stating that his marriage was “irretrievably broken”. There is nothing in Locke’s divorce papers that indicate he took action to fight the divorce proceedings or demand a trial. Locke signed a Marriage Dissolution Agreement. If that’s not taking action to “divorce his wife”, no matter who filed first, then what is?
A trail of witnesses from Mt. Juliet, to Mufreesboro, to the out-of-state women’s shelter in which Melissa now resides contend that Locke coerced his subservient and obedient wife into filing divorce in order to preserve for himself the claim that he was “abandoned”. These same witnesses contend that Locke basically ordered his wife out of the state of Tennessee. The traumatized woman is now isolated far away from her home and her family. Locke is still in close proximity to his church secretary, Tai McGee. The mandatory waiting period required by Tennessee law to make Locke’s divorce final has not elapsed.
Christians still following Greg Locke’s internet antics and attending his church should ask themselves if Locke is worthy of their time and generous donations. As an outspoken moralist, Locke’s actions towards his wife (and his secretary) are on display for the lost world to see and mock. Rather than condone his continuing pastorate, Locke’s familiars would do well to encourage him to repent and reconcile with his wife.
Indeed, those of us in the “lost” world are enjoying the spectacle, including Fundamentalists eating one of their own. It also seems, at least to me, that Locke’s ex-wife put his preaching into practice by divorcing his sorry ass. There will come a day — hopefully soon — when the former Mrs. Locke will be very glad that she jumped off Greg Locke’s crazy train and ran for her life.
As for Locke, he wants the world to know that his affair with his secretary is justified, as is his divorce from his wife. After all, his Ex is crazy:
She’s been in and out of mental health facilities but that is not where she is right now. She is at a place that helps ladies get on their feet again. The only reason why she is there is that the lady who runs it is like her grandmother, and so she’s there. She’s only there because of the comfort…It is a shelter there is no doubt. But it’s not something like a homeless shelter. She’s with the lady who runs the place.
Nice guy, right?
If you have the stomach for it, I encourage readers to read Pulpit & Pen’s latest article on Locke. Keep in mind the purveyors of Pulpit & Pen live for opportunities to expose sin and heresy among the faithful. In Locke’s case, this is a matter of believing the message regardless of the messenger. What matters is whether they are telling the truth, and it seems in this instance Pulpit & Pen is telling the truth about Locke, his wife, his girlfriend, and his recent divorce.
As tens of millions of Americans did on Sunday, I watched the Philadelphia Eagles defeats the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. The Patriots were expected to win, so kudos to the Eagles, head coach Doug Pederson, and quarterback Nick Foles for doing their part to provide TV viewers with one of the best Super Bowls in history. Thanks should also go to Patriot head coach Bill Belichick, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and his defense for allowing a back-up quarterback to thoroughly and completely rout the Patriot defense. Outside of missing a pass that would have led to an easy touchdown, Patriot’s quarterback Tom Brady did all he could to win the game, setting several NFL Super Bowl offensive records in the process.
After the game, news reporters turned their attention to Eagles players, asking them how they beat the Belichick-Brady dynasty. Here’s some of what they said:
My faith in the Lord means everything. I’m a believer in Jesus Christ and that’s first and foremost. That’s everything. I wouldn’t be able to do this game without Him because I don’t have the strength to go out and do this. This is supernatural.
It’s also an opportunity to go out there and share what’s He’s done in my life. And it’s not about prospering at all. It’s about how He’s humbled me. In my weaknesses, He made me strong, 2 Corinthians 12:9. You know, whenever I was at my lowest, that’s where my relationship with Christ grew.
Eagles quarterback Nick Foles
I can only give the praise to my Lord and savior Jesus Christ for giving me this opportunity. And I’m going to tell you something. I’ve got the best players in the world, and it’s a resilient group. I love this coaching staff. Mr. Lurie, the owner. And not only do we have the best fans in the world, we now have the best team in the world. Thank you guys.
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson
Uh, I had better score. I mean, glory to God first and foremost. We wouldn’t be here without him. This team is amazing. I mean, each and every day we go out there, we love to practice, and I think that’s the foundation of this team. And wow, what a run it’s been.
Evidently, JESUS, and not the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl.
As I did research for the post, I stumbled across several articles detailing recent conversions of Eagles’ players to Evangelical Christianity. Both Nick Foles and fellow quarterback Carson Wentz view themselves as evangelists for Jesus. One report stated that at least five players have received Christian baptism in the team’s recovery pool and several more have been baptized in hotel pools.
WND.com reports (no link due to possible virus threat):
In March, tight end Zach Ertz committed his life to Christ.
“I was baptized in March, got married the next day. Our marriage has been built on that foundation from the Word and Jesus and it’s changed my life. And just to have these guys hold me accountable on a daily basis has been phenomenal,” Ertz told CBN News.
A few months later, wide receiver Marcus Johnson was baptized in a North Carolina swimming pool ahead of a game against the Carolina Panthers.
Five teammates — linebackers Jordan Hicks, Mychal Kendricks and Kamu Grugier-Hill, and wide receivers Paul Turner and David Watford — were baptized in the Philadelphia Eagles’ recovery pool late last year, according to reports.
The above mentioned article quotes Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich as saying:
I think it [Evangelical Christianity] helps you be a better teammate. Our primary calling in life as a Christian is to bring out the best in other people. That’s the primary message of Christianity. We’ve been created to glorify God. How do we do that? He gives us gifts and abilities, and we’re supposed to bring those out in other people.
The article also mentions that Evangelical Carson Wentz created a promotional video for a faith-based group that uses the Super Bowl as means to evangelize non-Christians. Wentz stated:
If you are a pastor anywhere in the world who’s looking to impact the people in your community, please consider inviting me and other NFL players into your church this Super Bowl weekend. I promise it will be something God uses to transform the people you are called to serve. And I believe for all eternity.
So there ya have it, JESUS won the Super Bowl. According to numerous Eagles players, it was Jesus who gave them the strength and ability to defeat the mighty Patriots. The Bible says, in ALL THINGS give thanks. And this is all these players are doing. They are just thanking Jesus for taking time out from healing the sick, raising the dead, feeding the hungry, tending to victims of child sexual abuse, and ending war to influence the outcome of the Super Bowl. What an awesome God, right?
The New England Patriots also have a number of Evangelical players. However, none of them thanked God after the game for causing them to lose the game. If God picked the Eagles to win, that means he also picked a loser — the New England Patriots. If Evangelicals are to give God thanks for ALL THINGS, why do we never hear football players thanking God for their teams going down in defeat? Surely, Jesus is worthy of praise, regardless of the score? Or does the silence from the Patriots locker room reveal the truth about how Evangelicals view life; that all good things come from God and all bad things come from Satan or are the result of sin/personal failure; that Jesus is all about winners, not losers.
And when the Eagles fail to replicate their magical 2017 season? Will Jesus get the blame, or will the blame rightly rest on being outcoached, outplayed, or not having talented enough players to win the day? Evangelical sports figures make a mockery of their faith and their God when they attribute their wins to God. With all that is going on in the world today — a sure sign that the Evangelical God is on vacation or in the bathroom — surely God can’t be bothered with the outcomes of sporting events. Yet, players assure us that he is, reminding millions of Americans of the fact that when it comes to things that matter, God is nowhere to be found.
According to the Catholic chaplain for the Minnesota Vikings, God indeed cares about and watches the Super Bowl, but he is careful not to pick a winner:
There’s a lot of praying going on during these games. If the Super Bowl is important to 115 million people, it’s important to God…If you pray for victory, your team, you pray for loss of another. But God is the God of both sides.
Way to hedge your bets, Father — a typical Catholic response to the “hard” questions of life. Evangelicals will have none of that. God is the sovereign Lord over all, including who wins the Super Bowl. And on February 4, 2018, God determined that Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles would win the Super Bowl, and the New England Patriots would lose the game. Forget all the post-game analysis. God’s will for the game was an Eagles win and a Patriots loss. No need to critique player performance, coaching decisions, or the officiating. For at least one night, the thrice Holy God who created the universe in six days was an Eagles fan. Stay tuned for which team God will choose to win next year.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
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This is the one hundred sixty-seventh installment in the Songs of Sacrilege series. This is a series that I would like readers to help me with. If you know of a song that is irreverent towards religion, makes fun of religion, pokes fun at sincerely held religious beliefs, or challenges the firmly held religious beliefs of others, please send me an email.
Today’s Songs of Sacrilege is Resurrection by Erection by Powerwolf.
Warning! This song contains sexually graphic lyrics.
When purgatory’s waiting
And the girl immaculate
The highest of commandments dictates to copulate
No grave is animated, you’re buried all alone
So let her work a wonder
And wake your flesh and bone
Resurrection by erection
Raise you phallus to the sky and you never die
It’s resurrection by erection
Raise your bone up to the sky and you never gonna die
Hallelujah, resurrection
The funeral is calling
The mortuary blow
Between my legs I’m waking
I rise from down below
Why do you think believer
God gave you carnal lust
So pray to get a hard on
Before we turn to dust
Resurrection by erection
Raise you phallus to the sky and you never die
It’s resurrection by erection
When you wake up from the dead, and the angels give a head
Hallelujah, resurrection
(Resurrection!)
(Resurrection!)
(Resurrection!)
Now I want my resurrection
Oh, I long for resurrection
All I want is resurrection now
(Resurrection!) Nooooooooooowww!
The devil and the maiden
Prepare for going wild
The new messiah calling
The purgatory child
Before my flesh is fading
The virgin has a turn
The third of days we’re climbing the point of no return
Resurrection (Resurrection) by erection (by erection)
Raise you phallus to the sky and you never die
It’s resurrection (resurrection) by erection (by erection)
Raise your bone up to the sky and you never gonna die
Hallelujah, resurrection
This is the one hundred sixty-sixth installment in the Songs of Sacrilege series. This is a series that I would like readers to help me with. If you know of a song that is irreverent towards religion, makes fun of religion, pokes fun at sincerely held religious beliefs, or challenges the firmly held religious beliefs of others, please send me an email.
Today’s Songs of Sacrilege is Cry for the Moon by Epica.
Follow your common sense
You cannot hide yourself
Behind a fairytale forever and ever
Only by revealing the whole truth can we disclose
The soul of this sick bulwark forever and ever
Forever and ever
Indoctrinated minds so very often
Contain sick thoughts
And commit most of the evil they preach against
Don’t try to convince me with messengers from God
You accuse us of sins committed by yourselves
It’s easy to condemn without looking in the mirror
Behind the scenes opens reality
Eternal silence cries out for justice
Forgiveness is not for sale
Nor is the will to forget
Virginity has been stolen at very young ages
And the extinguisher loses it’s immunity
Morbid abuse of power in the garden of eden
Where the apple gets a youthful face
Eternal silence cries out for justice
Forgiveness is not for sale
Nor is the will to forget
You can’t go on hiding yourself
Behind old fashioned fairytales
And keep washing your hands in innocence
This is the one hundred sixty-fifth installment in the Songs of Sacrilege series. This is a series that I would like readers to help me with. If you know of a song that is irreverent towards religion, makes fun of religion, pokes fun at sincerely held religious beliefs, or challenges the firmly held religious beliefs of others, please send me an email.
Today’s Songs of Sacrilege is Jonestown Tea by Otep.
Warning! Extremly graphic lyrics about child sexual abuse by a Christian father.
And it sounds like…Armageddon
Sounds like…Armageddon
Sounds like…come and drink with me….
Come and drink with me
And I remember him fucking me,
And I remember liking it,
I didn’t know any better…
And I remember the smell, and the pain, and the shame…
And I remember being afraid and thinking everyday,
Every single day.. that it was my fault…
Oh, but what happened to that little girl?
Who used to dream of one day ruling the world,
Who used to draw pretty pictures in my room–beneath the moon
Destroying to create
Softly praying to “God”
What do I do now?
What do I do now?
As I secretly masturbate…
But then I’d hear his hooves coming down the floor
With a Bible in his hand…
Softly opening my door and he’d say…
DAUGHTER! The day of your atonement is due!
Well there’s 3 million sinners out there…
and that includes you!
No daddy, don’t… no daddy, don’t…
LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE ME ALONE!
NO, I DON’T WANT TO BE FREE! NO, I DON’T WANT TO BE FREE!
SO TAKE YOUR DICK OUT OF ME!
PLEASE TAKE YOUR DICK OUT OF ME! PLEASE TAKE YOUR DICK OUT OF ME! PLEASE TAKE
YOUR DICK OUT OF ME!
I’m bleeding, it’s not fair…
You see, there’s this little place I like to go…
I like to run and hide–deep inside,
Where all the nightmares are real, and all the monsters come alive,
Oh, but the things I’ve seen in soft, soft visions and terrifying prophecies,
Like serpents on the take and gods coming in all sizes and shapes
Nothing seems fulfilling anymore..
Well your temples are swollen in deceit and the body of your missionary,
He’s rotting… rotting in defeat mama?
MAMA!
Are the aliens coming to take us away? (mama?)
Is Armageddon gonna happen again today?
LOOK WHAT HE DID TO ME! WHY DID YOU DO IT TO ME?!
HOW COULD YOU DO IT TO ME! WHY DID YOU DO IT TO ME?!
I will not cry… I will not cry…
I–PREFER–TO–DIE! than live–this life–of LIES!
KILL WHAT YOU CAN — CHALLENGE EVERYTHING
Vengeance is mine…
Hey, I’m sorry baby…
please come back inside…we can laugh a little… and live and die,
no wait. see, I got this hot pot of Jonestown tea
And it’s been brewing for you and me,
Oh, it only takes one sip,
Come on baby,
Surrender your lips,
I can take you someplace nice…
I can take you…someplace NICE!
Breed my disease, be my disease…
Breed my disease, be my disease…
and vengeance will be mine
It’s closer than you think…
So I entered his room at 32 past noon
With my little ritual knife…
I cut out his tongue
Liberated his wife
She loved me for it other world woman,
Well, that’s what she called me (Destroyer),
the one who sets you free, (come and drink with me)
We all die like cartoons, surrender your children,
kids who like to kill, lies…all lies…
This is the one hundred sixty-fourth installment in the Songs of Sacrilege series. This is a series that I would like readers to help me with. If you know of a song that is irreverent towards religion, makes fun of religion, pokes fun at sincerely held religious beliefs, or challenges the firmly held religious beliefs of others, please send me an email.
Today’s Songs of Sacrilege is Lisa’s Father by Alice Donut.
Hi, I’d like to tell you a story about something
That happened to me
I was sitting at home just the other day
Watching some TV, when there’s a knock on my door
And I went to the door to see who it was, and
It was a woman with no eyes
And she had a stackfull of comic books
And she gave me one and then she said:
Take it and read!
And I took it, and I did read. And the story was
So moving and compelling that I had to write a
Song about it
It wasn’t one of your regular comic books
Rather it was one of those comic books from Chick publications out of
California, one of those comic books that’s
Meant to convert you to a fundamental Christianity
And it was a story about a family
And the father’s name was … he was name was Lisa’s father
And the mother’s name was … her name was Lisa’s mother
And then there was a child, a five year old child
Named Lisa
Lisa, pure as the driven snow
But she was driven in other ways as well, I’ll
Tell you about that later
Lisa’s mother was an alcoholic
She used to sit and knock back JD from 8 o’clock
In the morning ’til she passed out at midnight
Lisa’s father however, he was a sinner of another sort
He was a sinner of a different color, if you know what
I’m talking about
He was a kind of a man
A kind of a man who didn’t keep his sinning to himself
‘Cos he was a child-molester
This was a man who abused his little daughter Lisa
Every night. Every afternoon. Every morning
As soon as Lisa’s mother was whacked out on JD –
He’d go up to Lisa’s bedroom
And he’d start wailing around this poor little kid
Making that sound:
Oh waka waka waka baby baby baby –
Have me a good time yeah yeah
Yeah – yeah
One day he was up there, doing what he once did to
That poor little girl
When there was a knock on his front door
He tucked in his shirt, and he ran down
And he pulled up his pants
And he answered the door as quick as he could
And he said:
– Yo! Who’s there?
– Hey, this is Phil. Your neighbor!
– Oh! Hey, how’re you doing?
– Hi, Lisa’s father!
– How’s the weather?
– Oh, the weather is fine and I know what
You’ve been doing with Lisa
But you’d got to let me do it too
If you don’t want me to turn you in!
And Lisa’s father said:
– Whoa, I’m in the soup now!
What am I gonna do?
I gotta let him do it to Lisa or
Else he’ll turn me in to the police!
– Okay! You can do it!
You can do it too!
Upstairs the two of them went
And from that day on the both were doing it
To poor little Lisa
One day the mother dried up just long enough
To take that kid to the doctor
The doctor took one look at this kid, and
Do you know what the doctor said?
– Your daughter has a venereal diseases
And that mother, she put two and two together mighty
Fast, I’ll tell you
She knew what was going on up there
And she grabbed that kid – she started running home
She ran home as fast as she could
And she ran and she pointed a finger at Lisa’s father
And she said:
– You repulsive little shit!
I hate you! I hate you!
And Lisa’s father said:
– Whoa! Whoa, I’m in the soup now!
She knows what I’ve been doing to Lisa
He ran!
He ran out that door as fast as he could!
He started to make his way down to the bridge
Just like James Stewart in “It’s a wonderful life”
He was going to throw himself off that bridge
A woman with no eyes and a handful of comic books
Walks up to him ‘n’ give him a comic book
Just like the woman in my …
And she gave him a comic book and she said:
– Just pray!
Just pray, is what she said
The next panel said “15 minutes later”
And he said:
– Whoa! I feel excellent!!
I’m gonna go home and tell Lisa’s mother about
This prayin’ stuff
And he ran home, and he said:
– Hey, Lisa’s mother. Listen to this!
And she said:
– I hate you! I hate you!
And he said:
– Oh shut up you old cow!
Listen to this:
Get up and pray!!
15 minutes later
She says, she says:
– I feel great!
And Lisa’s father says:
– Let’s call Lisa in and tell her
What’s happening around here!
They call in Lisa
And Lisa is a little scared
They say:
– Hey Lisa. We’ve got some good news for you!
We’re never
Gonna hurt you
Never gonna hurt you anymore
And Lisa says, Lisa says:
– oh really!?
This tract was considered so perverse and disgusting that it is no longer for sale by Chick Publications
This is the one hundred sixty-second installment in the Songs of Sacrilege series. This is a series that I would like readers to help me with. If you know of a song that is irreverent towards religion, makes fun of religion, pokes fun at sincerely held religious beliefs, or challenges the firmly held religious beliefs of others, please send me an email.
Today’s Songs of Sacrilege is Get Your Gunn by Marilyn Manson.
Goddamn your righteous hand
I eat innocent meat
The housewife I will beat
The prolife I will kill
What you won’t do I will
I bash myself to sleep
What you sow I will reap
I scar myself you see
I wish I wasn’t me
I am the little stick
You stir me into shit
I hate therefore I am
Goddamn your righteous hand
Goddamn, goddamn (oh, lord)
Goddamn, goddamn
Pseudo-morals work real well
On the talk shows for the weak
But your selective judgements
And goodguy badges
Don’t mean a fuck to me
I throw a little fit
I slit my teenage wrist
The most that I can learn
Is in records that you burn
Get your gunn, get your gunn
Get your gunn, get your gunn
Pseudo-morals work real well
On the talk shows for the weak
But your selective judgements
And goodguy badges
Don’t mean a fuck to me
I am the vhs
Record me with your fist
You want me to save the world
I’m just a little girl
Pseudo-morals work real well
On the talk shows for the weak
But your selective judgements
And goodguy badges
Don’t mean a fuck to me
Get your gunn, get your gunn
Get your gunn, get your gunn…get
Benjamin Petty, a cook at Falls Creek church camp — owned and operated by The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma — was sentenced to probation for raping a thirteen-year-old female camper. Be prepared to read about victim blaming in the story that follows.
Randy Ellis, a reporter for The Oklahoman, writes:
In an unusual plea deal, a Spencer man has been sentenced to 15 years on probation after pleading guilty to brutally raping and sodomizing a 13-year-old girl at Falls Creek church camp.
Benjamin Lawrence Petty, 36, tied rope around the girl’s wrists, raped her and then threatened her with physical harm if she told anyone, according to the criminal charge. He was at the camp as a cook at the time of the 2016 offense.
Murray County Assistant District Attorney David Pyle, who negotiated the guilty plea, said Petty is “legally blind” and that was a major factor in his decision not to insist on prison time.
Petty was given the suspended sentence by District Judge Wallace Coppedge on Jan. 19 after entering a negotiated guilty plea to first-degree rape, forcible sodomy and rape by instrumentation. All three are felonies.
A woman in Judge Coppedge’s office said he would not be making any statement.
“The big thing is Mr. Petty is legally blind and the parents (of the victim) live out of state and this little girl lives out of state and didn’t want to make all the travels back and forth,” Pyle said. “The plea was negotiated with their permission.”
Petty was already legally blind at the time of the rape, Pyle said. Under terms of the probation, Petty will be required to wear an ankle monitor for 24 months, register as a sex offender and obtain treatment. He had no prior felony convictions, according to plea agreement documents.
Bruce Robertson, an attorney who is helping represent the victim’s interests in a civil case, said the family’s consent to the plea agreement came after “the family was told by the district attorney’s office that the rapist would not serve any meaningful prison time due to his medical conditions.”
….
The girl was raped in June 2016, while attending church camp at Falls Creek with a group from Terrell, Texas, according to court records filed in the civil lawsuit.
The rapist was brought to the camp to serve as a cook by The Country Estates Baptist Church of Midwest City, according to that lawsuit.
The First Baptist Church of Terrell is named as a defendant in the lawsuit along with the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma and The Country Estates Baptist Church.
Currently pending in the civil case is a request by attorneys for the Midwest City church to question the rape victim about her “prior history of voluntary sexual activity.”
Oklahoma County District Judge Aletia Timmons rejected the initial request, saying, “I don’t think it has any — even a scintilla of any relevance to anything.”
Attorneys for the church have asked the judge to reconsider her decision, claiming the victim talked with fellow campers about “her sexual activities and history with her then-boyfriend, including her fear that she might be pregnant with her boyfriend’s child.”
The church’s attorneys contend that is relevant because it may have “contributed to her physical and emotional damages.”
Attorneys for the victim claim the rape, itself, is responsible for the girl sustaining physical, emotional and psychological damages.
“We are saddened to see that the church has stooped to victim-blaming,” Robertson said. “While we will not publicly debate the consensual sexual history, if any, of our teenage client, we fail to understand how the church can conceivably argue that any female’s consensual relations are relevant to the trauma suffered as the result of a horrific, violent rape. The church has improperly used information in its motion which we believe is in violation of the court’s protective order and we will not comment further at this time.”
The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma is a cooperative owned by a partnership of Oklahoma Baptist churches. It owns and operates Falls Creek, which is located in the Arbuckle Mountains in south-central Oklahoma. About 54,000 adolescent campers attend the camp during the summer camping season, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit accuses the churches and Baptist General Convention of negligence, contending they didn’t do a good enough job of checking the backgrounds of workers, failed to adequately supervise sponsors and camp participants, and failed to train them on how to recognize and avoid predators.
