Posted on 07/16/2008 6:07:59 AM PDT by Between the Lines
The youth pastor once charged with sex abuse is sharing his story. It’s the first time he’s said anything publically since the charge was dismissed in court.
Clayton Pruett says he’s been fighting to get his name and reputation back. He says he knows it won’t be the same, but he is out to prove that he did nothing wrong.
His family is behind him and he wants people to know how serious it is when allegations of sex abuse are brought to police.
Pruett says he believes the teen and her mother brought the charge against him to get back at him for trying to discipline the teen.
Pruett is suing the mother of the accuser for slander and libel.
More background info:
The judge said the sheriff’s office may continue to pursue the case and possibly submit it to a grand jury. (The grand jury has met five times since Jan. 29, but I could not find out if Pruett's case was had been brought before them.)
Pruett is a high school wrestling coach, a substitute teacher and a youth pastor. He was suspended from his teaching positions without pay and was suspended by the church with pay depending on the outcome. He also was suspended from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Boyce College, where he was a student. He has since returned to all previous positions.
We had a situation here a few years back in which, for whatever reason, a few adults wanted to get rid of a youth minister at their church. Several teen girls then falsely accused a youth minister of inappropriate touching.
If the charges are true, put the bum away.
Good for him for suing. I hope he wins.
The plaintiff in this situation would need to prove that he did not engage in the activity alleged in order to win his libel/slander lawsuit.
Why didn’t the parents do the same thing?.
BTTT
They can recant anyway.
“JAN 29, 2008 - Charges were dismissed by Bullitt County District Judge Rebecca Ward after an investigator failed to show up for a probable-cause hearing. Chief Deputy Danny Thompson of the sheriff’s office said McGaha had been called to Illinois for a family emergency.”
Smells like the sheriff’s office realized it didn’t have a case and so made up an excuse in a vain effort to save face.
IMHO, Trumped by resist the devil and he shall flee. It is the work of the devil to discredit anyone working for the Lord.
Ananias and Sapphira might have something to say to Peter about turning the other cheek, forgiving seventy times seven, and love your enemies, don’t you think?
I thought about that also, but since the charges did not originate with the sheriff's department, the worse thing that could happen to them if they presented a weak case would be that they might be accused of botching the case with an inadequate investigation. When he didn't show, the Sheriff's office assured that they would be accused of botching things up.
It just doesn't make sense to do it that way intentionally.
Thanks for posting this follow-up story, BtL.
Innocent until proven guilty bump. For too long the mere whiff of an accusation (only certain types, though) has lead to guilty verdicts before the facts were known. If the guy was framed the mom & daughter should be jailed as though they were the sex offenders.
Maybe they didn't ask yet. :)
“What happened to turn the other cheek and forgive seventy times seven and love your enemy?”
In this case the man is justified. Forgiving is one thing, getting your reputation restored is something else. This kind of false accusation will unfortunately taint his reputation for the rest of his life.
Apparently this is quite the popular little hobby these days. A friend from the Guard had his pizzed off 17 Y O daughter threaten to claim he rapes her... KNOWING I was in the house and could hear every word she said. Apparently she did not care because the claim alone would be enough to bust him.
When she saw the look in my eyes she STHU.
Ah, I see. Adverbial form of the word "publical."
...that doesn't exist.
Nice to see the anointed, hard at work.
Please do not use potty language on the Religion Forum.
Yes, and the lying girl's reputation probably won't follow her. It's scary how easy it is for a lying girl to put an innocent man through hell.
I still say showing kindness goes further in this case than revenge. God loves us not as we deserve it but unconditional.
As the person who initially charged him has changed his story, the affirmative defense is half proven. Actually, the filing of charges against the initial accuser is doubling down on the bluff, a good move by any innocent man.
I think a jury would not be fooled by the testimonies. Call me optimistic...
Can somebody explain to me where this man got the authority to "discipline" (whatever that means) a teenage girl against her parent's wishes? I can't believe that nobody else has asked that question.
“God loves us not as we deserve it but unconditional.”
Yes He does. But at this time and place the man is justified in his course of action.
A staff member of a former church of mine perved on a kid about 5 years ago. He went from successful business man with a couple of houses and money in the bank to a leper living in trailer across the state. His probation ends in 6 months and he’s a marked man for life.
“Can somebody explain to me where this man got the authority to “discipline”
The authority that an adult leader has over a group of kids. Or just maybe the authority that any adult has over a kid.
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