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	David Pierce Trial Rescheduled Courier August 9, 2009 http://www.bentoncourier.com/content/view/183194/1/ A short continuance has been granted in a court proceeding for David Pierce, the former minister of music at Benton's First Baptist Church, who faces 54 counts of sexual indecency with a child. Saline County Prosecuting Attorney Ken Casady said the proceeding that was set for Aug. 17 has been moved to Aug. 27 because of a trial conflict of Pierce's attorney, Mark Hampton of Little Rock, formerly of Benton. Casady, Hampton and Circuit Judge Grisham Phillips selected the nearest date to Aug. 17, Casady said. There have been no new developments in the case, Casady added. Pierce, 56, remains free on a $25,000 cash/professional bond. Four alleged victims are involved in the 54 counts of the criminal charge, Casady said. Pierce, initially arrested on one count of the Class D felony, later was arrested a second time when the 53 additional counts were added. After his initial arrest on a Friday afternoon (April 24), Pierce was jailed for a weekend at the Saline County Detention Facility. He was released after a bond hearing the following Monday. Following his second arrest, he made a brief visit to the detention facility with his attorney, then was released on the same bond arrangement. The bond was set by District Judge Mike Robinson in an April 27 hearing in District Court. Dr. Rick Grant, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Benton, previously has said church officials have "cooperated fully with the authorities and will continue to do that." Sheriff Bruce Pennington has corroborated the church's position. The charges against Pierce reportedly relate to incidents that have occurred in the past three years and all of those alleging the abuse are still teenagers, Pennington said. All of the alleged victims are male and are or were part of the church's youth choir program, Pure Energy, which Pierce directed. He said the kind of activity alleged to have occurred involving Pierce is believed to date back as far as 15 years, he said. The incidents on which the allegations are based "occurred in and around rural areas of Saline County and also occurred in the church ... ," Pennington said. None of the alleged incidents occurred on choir tours, he said. Computers and ledgers used by Pierce were seized and taken to the Arkansas Crime Lab for analysis. Authorities never have revealed what information these contained, but acknowledged that pornographic material was involved. Pennington said Pierce was released under his previous bail arrangement because he was not considered a flight risk. Pierce was ordered to adhere to the same "no contact" terms that were set by Robinson after his initial release from jail. The court order states that Pierce may have no contact with church leadership, including but not limited to the pastor, the chairman of deacons, the church Personnel Committee, or any church employee except his son. He is barred from having any contact with "any child under the age of 18 to whom he is not related" and prohibited from "using third parties to circumvent these conditions." Specifically, the order states that Pierce may not use Facebook, MySpace "or any other form of passive Internet communication" and previously was ordered to surrender his passport. In addition to church officials, parents of the youths involved have been cooperative, Pennington has said. "They're supportive of their children," he added. "The individuals who have accused Pierce of the sexual acts say their abuse began when they were probably 15," the sheriff said. He said he isn't aware whether any alleged victim was aware that others had experienced similar abuse at the time of the alleged incidents. Pierce served as music minister at First Baptist for 29 years.
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