A youth pastor in North Carolina was charged with 30 counts of sexual battery after a “months-long” investigation involving teenagers, police said.
Detectives arrested James R. Murphey, a former church employee, at a home in High Point around 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 29, according to a news release from the city’s police department.
Throughout the investigation, which began in January, the High Point Police Department’s Special Victims Unit identified several individuals between the ages of 16 and 19 who were allegedly assaulted in 2023, police said.
Murphey, 44, who goes by his middle name Robert, was working at Oak View Baptist Church in High Point during this time, Chris Martin, the church’s safety director, told McClatchy News.
Murphey was a youth pastor at the church for almost 24 years, Martin said.
“He was in charge of all youth activities,” he said. “Bible Study on Wednesday night, youth…
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