A pastor from Kentucky in the United States has been arrested over child sex charges for having an illicit relationship with a minor that he claims was ‘consensual.’
Zachary King, 47, who formerly served as pastor at LexCity Church in Lexington, was arrested on Monday on charges of rape, sodomy and sexual abuse, according to an arrest citation by Fox56 News.
King, who is married, explained to detective from the Lexington Police Department that the he began the relationship with the 15-year-old in January 2023 ended April 2024.
Confessing to the sex crimes, he informed the police that he had ‘sexual intercourse in the minor’s home, at his residence, and at the church where he was a former pastor.
He spoke with the minor through Snapchat and WhatsApp, and would ‘receive sexually explicit images’ from her on the social platform.
It was learnt that after members of the church confronted him about the allegations, he quit his position as the pastor of the church.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday.
King told the podcast Off the Record hosted by Pastor Brian Classen about his relationship with his wife back in February 2022.
“At times, where I am frustrated and my needs are not being met – and annoyed by things I shouldn’t be annoyed by – is when my wife and I are disconnected and we haven’t talked about it and we just kind of let it sit.
“We become really good co-parents and roommates in those seasons – where it’s like we just got to get the kids to the next place and get through the next day, almost like surviving until you can go to bed.
“So things that wouldn’t never really bother me normally you are treating the symptoms, but you are not treating the root of the problem and I just have to sit there and pray and ask the Lord to reveal the root – typically it’s me – my frustration is actually something I’m not doing – so it is really not you it’s me in this scenario.”
He equally highlighted his marriage, “I actually find I am guilty of not just comparing your partner to someone else, but comparing them to the former them.”
He also commented on his marriage: “I actually find I am guilty of not just comparing your partner to someone else, but comparing them to the former them.”
Recently, Pastor Robert Morris, 62, the founder and senior pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, one of the country’s largest megachurches, was accused of sexually abusing Cindy Clemishire, a former family friend, in the 1980s when she was just 12 years old.
Now 54, Clemishire went public with her allegations last week through a blog post on The Wartburg Watch, a site aimed at exposing abuse within churches.
A phone transcript revealed that Morris reportedly once asked Clemishire how much it would cost to silence her.
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