Church Volunteer Accused of Sexually Abusing Boys Remains in Jail
By Dana Willhoit
The Ledger
November 5, 2007
http://www.theledger.com/article/20071105/NEWS/711050353/1134
LAKELAND — Worshippers filled the First Baptist Church at the Mall on Sunday as Pastor Jay Dennis talked to parishioners about weathering the storms in their lives.
Storms make people aware of their priorities, of what is most important and what is insignificant, he said. They strengthen spiritual "muscle," and without them, we would be spiritually flabby.
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Copy mug of Seymour Marshall in Lakeland, Fl. November 3, 2007.Seymour is charged with three counts of using a child in sex performance , unlawful sexual activity with a minor, and tampering with a witness. Seymour turned himself in to the the Polk County Sheriff's Office Friday evening.He was a volunteer mentor at The First Baptist Church at the Mall. Dana match. Photo by David Mills/The Ledger |
"Storms protect you," Dennis told church members, his words broadcast on huge television screens as he spoke.
The storm hovering over the Lakeland church - Dennis called it a "Category 5" - is the investigation and arrest of Marshal Seymour on charges of molesting three teenage boys who he met through his volunteer work at the church, one of Polk's biggest with nearly 9,000 members.
Seymour, 40, remained in the Polk County Jail on Sunday night, held on $325,000 bail. He turned himself in late Friday night after a two-week investigation by Lakeland police and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Seymour, a Lakeland businessman who owns a fire safety equipment servicing company, moved to Lakeland from Mobile, Ala., in 1999 and began volunteering at the First Baptist Church at the Mall.
In Alabama he had been convicted on a misdemeanor assault charge for acts he committed on a 16-year-old boy who he met when he was a youth pastor, but his criminal charge did not appear when the Lakeland church did a background check on him.
In Lakeland, Seymour met the teens he's accused of abusing through his volunteer work with the youth ministry, but he did not commit any offenses against them on church property, police said.
He has been charged with molesting a 17-year-old boy in a hotel room that Seymour had rented for him. Seymour is also charged with asking a 16-year-old boy to expose himself at Seymour's place of business and asking a 15-year-old boy to expose himself as they drove in Seymour's truck.
Seymour could face up to 65 years in state prison if convicted of all the charges.
Sunday morning, Dennis told the parishioners, "The church has also been harmed by this situation. This is a Category 5 storm for us. Our church is a great church, but today we mourn the fact that innocent people have been profoundly wounded."
After the sermon, Dennis addressed the issue of Seymour's arrest. Dennis read aloud the same statement that he had read to the media on Saturday.
In it he expressed his anger and hurt, and the church's anger and hurt, at the allegations.
"Mr. Seymour served as an unpaid volunteer in our youth ministry for several years. He never gave us any reason to doubt his sincerity and his desire to help students," Dennis said.
Afterward, parishioner Sam Waldron, 21, said that she thought Dennis showed a lot of backbone in how he handled the situation.
"Honestly, it kind of stung a little bit that it happened here," she said, "but I was very impressed with Pastor Dennis' handling of the situation."
[ Dana Willhoit can be reached at dana.willhoit@theledger.com or 863-533-9079. ]
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