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	'Pastor' Indicted on Molestation Charge By Seth Burkett Decatur Daily October 27, 2006 http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/061027/indicted.shtml Authorities arrested a man, who claimed to be an ordained minister, this week on charges he molested a child he was tutoring. "In April a child in elementary school reported to his teacher that he had been inappropriately touched by a man he knew as 'Pastor P.,' " said Decatur police Sgt. Terry White. White said 'Pastor P.' turned out to be Victor Young Pickett, 32, of 217 Eighth St. S.W. A Morgan County grand jury indicted Pickett this month on a charge of first-degree sexual abuse of a child under 12 years old. He was booked into the Morgan County Jail and released Tuesday on $25,000 bond. "It appeared that Pastor P. was doing some tutoring for children and that in one of those tutoring sessions with the victim, there was some inappropriate sexual contact between Pickett and the victim," White said. Pickett was not tutoring children as part of any organized program, White said. "He was assisting this child with his homework. I don't know how many other students he had. I couldn't find any other students or victims," White said. "He does regularly present himself as a pastor. ... I've not seen any credentials that would show that," White said. Pickett is not a registered sex offender. He was indicted in January 2000 on charges of first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse and second-degree sexual abuse, but the case was later dismissed. Police told THE DAILY in 2000 that detectives performed a six-month investigation into Pickett's activities that revealed he was running a church out of his apartment, picking up young males to take them to his church and molesting them. Pickett said one of the families he was helping set him up after he stopped helping them upon discovering they were "drug users and criminals." Attempts to reach Pickett at home Thursday were unsuccessful. He told THE DAILY in 2000 that he was an ordained minister who ran the Pentecostal Church of Truth, an outreach ministry with about 15 members. Attempts to verify whether Pickett is an ordained minister or if he is currently involved with a ministry were unsuccessful Thursday. sburkett@decaturdaily.com • 340-2355
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