BishopAccountability.org
	Pastor Charged with Aggravated Incest By Laura Johnson Monroe News Star September 17, 2008 http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080917/UPDATES01/80917032 A pastor at Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Jonesboro is facing charges following allegations he had a sexual relationship with his ex-wife’s juvenile daughter before they divorced. Ouachita Parish deputies arrested Laron D. Williams, 30, 24 Front Royal Terrace Drive, Monroe, was charged with aggravated incest. He was booked at Ouachita Correctional Center on Tuesday. Bond is $25,000. According to an arrest affidavit, the abuse began when the girl was 12 years old. It lasted approximately three years or until her mother divorced him in July 2007. Williams threatened the girl with bodily injury to keep her from telling anyone about the abuse, the affidavit stated. He reportedly said he might slip “something” into one of her drinks if she refused sex or spoke out. During an interview at the Center for Children and Families in Monroe, the girl said in the beginning the suspect only made her watch pornographic movies but that the abuse escalated, over time, to sexual intercourse. Deputies were apparently able to identify a pattern of behavior the suspect exhibited that confirmed the girl’s account. A second, younger victim reportedly said he also made her watch pornographic videos as well but that the abuse did not escalate to sexual intercourse, according to the affidavit. He also reportedly exhibited the same behavior in his marriage with the girl’s mother. His ex-wife indicated he commonly viewed pornographic videos before having sex. He denied the allegations when deputies questioned him. Church members were not immediately available for comment, but the pastor of one local church offered words of encouragement to people who may be discouraged by the charges against Williams. “You can’t let the fall of a leader discourage you from following God,” said Mike Kellett, pastor of Whites Ferry Road Church of Christ in West Monroe. “Our faith has to be in God, because even leaders, from time to time, disappoint us.” Contact: ljohnson@monroe.gannett.com
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