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	Charges Dropped, to Be Refiled against Johnston By John Ford Neosho Daily News [Pineville] May 20, 2007 http://www.neoshodailynews.com/articles/2007/05/20/news/05johnston.txt Charges against a Granby pastor have been dropped and new ones are currently being refiled, according to court personnel and electronic court documents. A total of 17 child sexual abuse counts have been dropped against George Otis Johnston, 63, pastor of the Grandview Valley Baptist Church. A court services spokeswoman said the charges are in the process of being refiled. Electronic court records show a filing was made on Friday by Newton County Prosecutor Scott Watson, with a tentative arraignment date set for June 11. However, no charges are listed on the new court document, and court personnel said Friday they were waiting on the prosecutor's office to provide the charges. Johnston, 63, has been charged with 17 counts of child sexual abuse in Newton County, and a count of felony child molestation in McDonald County. A pre-trial conference is set for June 19 on the McDonald County charge. Two sisters, now ages 20 and 17, have accused Johnston of sexually abusing them when they were children. The younger woman said the abuse began when she was 8, when she was sent to Johnston's trailer for counseling about shaving her legs. She said the abuse continued several times a week until she left the commune shortly after her 17th birthday. The older sister was the second one to come forward with sexual abuse allegations. She has testified that some of the alleged contact took place while Johnston was supposed to be tutoring her in algebra, and said she considered the pastor to be her grandfather because he was the community's spiritual leader. Johnston is one of five area church leaders facing felony sexual abuse charges. Others facing charges include Johnston's nephew, Raymond Lambert, pastor of Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church near Powell; Lambert's wife, Patty; his sister-in-law, Laura Epling; and Epling's brother-in-law, Paul Epling.
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