Free Republic

Monrovia - An evangelical pastor described the atrocities he and his men committed during the Liberian civil war, including magical rituals that involved slaughtering children and eating their hearts. Joshua Milton Blahyi spared no details on Tuesday as he told Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of his years with one of the most feared militias of the war. Dressed in an immaculate suit, Blahyi, 37, said it was for the TRC to decide whether he should be given an amnesty or prosecuted. "I am willing to go to court if necessary," he said. "And I will repeat just what...

Union Parish Sheriff’s deputies arrested Kenneth Duchesne, the pastor at Beulah Baptist Church Tuesday afternoon, and charged him with two counts of aggravated incest. Duchesne, 35, was arrested at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the parking lot of Wal-Mart after the Sheriff’s Office received a complaint on Monday. Dusty Burroughs, a deacon at the church, said the congregation was shocked by the arrest. “It’s hurt the church pretty good,’’ Burroughs said. “We’re trying to deal with it and move on.’’ Duchesne had been the preacher at Beulah Baptist, located north of Farmerville between Farmerville and Spearsville, for less than...

A pastor at a Cold Spring church was arrested on two counts of carrying a concealed weapon on Christmas Eve. According to the Cold Spring Police Department, Johnny R. Coleman (Randy), 1069 Parkside Drive, Alexandria, the pastor of Christ Baptist Church in Cold Spring, was arrested after police found him at 12:30 p.m. with a loaded Glock 9mm handgun and a loaded .25 caliber handgun, in a briefcase at the Mr. Spotless Car Wash in Cold Spring. Cold Spring Police Chief Ed Burk III confirmed Coleman is a pastor at the church. According to the police report, Coleman told an...

NORTH ANSON -- The Carrabec High School administrator accused of unlawful sexual contact with a minor has stepped down as minister of an evangelical church. Frank "Skip" Gleason, assistant principal and athletic director at Carrabec, resigned Sunday as pastor of Maranatha Assembly on Church Street after accusations against him became public. Meanwhile, supporters of Gleason rallied around him, saying they doubt that the charges are true, but that the publicity has already done irreparable harm to a good man. The alleged abuse of a 15-year-old Carrabec High School student occurred off school grounds, the arresting officer said Monday. Sheriff's Detective...

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- A Baptist minister has been charged in Tennessee with indecent exposure and driving under the influence. Police said 58-year-old Tommy Tester of Bristol, Va., was wearing a skirt when he was arrested last week after allegedly relieving himself in front of children at a car wash. A report also accuses Tester of offering police officers oral sex and says an open bottle of vodka and empty oxycodone prescription bottle was found in his car when Tester was arrested Friday. Authorities identified Tester as the minister of Gospel Baptist Church in Bristol and an employee of Christian...

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- A Baptist minister has been charged in Tennessee with indecent exposure and driving under the influence. Police said 58-year-old Tommy Tester of Bristol, Va., was wearing a skirt when he was arrested last week after allegedly relieving himself in front of children at a car wash. A report also accuses Tester of offering police officers oral sex and says an open bottle of vodka and empty oxycodone prescription bottle was found in his car when Tester was arrested Friday. Authorities identified Tester as the minister of Gospel Baptist Church in Bristol and an employee of Christian...

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - An Arizona church pastor accused of molesting a Florida boy eight years ago has been arrested, authorities said. Robert A. Enersen, 54, pastor of the First Assembly of God church in Douglas, Ariz., faces three counts of lewd assault on a child and is being held in an Arizona jail without bail after his Monday arrest, a Polk County (Fla.) sheriff's report said.The charges also include accusations from boys in Michigan and North Carolina.A representative with the Assemblies of God national headquarters said Tuesday the organization was not aware of Enersen's arrest. He does not have...