By John Ford
Neosho Daily News
December 11, 2009
http://www.neoshodailynews.com/news/x1488823170/Hearing-set-for-Granby-pastor
 |
| George Johnston |
A Granby pastor facing 17 counts of child sexual abuse will have a case review in Vernon County.
George Otis Johnston, 66, is scheduled to appear in Vernon County Circuit Court on Dec. 22 for the proceeding. Judge James R. Bickel will preside. Johnston is represented by Neosho attorney Andy Wood. The case was moved from Newton County to Vernon County on a change of venue.
Johnston, the pastor of Grandview Valley Baptist Church, faces nine counts of first degree statutory sodomy, a Class A felony; six Class C felony charges of second-degree statutory sodomy; and two Class C felony counts of first-degree child molestation.
In the summer of 2006, a young woman alleged Johnston had molested her as a child, beginning when she was 8 years old and continuing until she left the Granby commune shortly after her 17th birthday.
During a preliminary hearing, the woman testified she was first sent to Johnston’s trailer by her mother to receive counseling about shaving her legs. The incident took place at a church commune in Newtonia.
While living at the commune, the woman said she was sent to Johnston’s trailer several times a week. When the group moved to Granby, the visits continued, the woman said.
During these visits, the woman said, Johnston would touch her beneath her clothing several times a week.
When she was older, the woman testified, the pastor told her he was ordained by God and it would tarnish her if she slept with another man. But if she slept with him, she would remain pure. She said she did not have sexual intercourse with the pastor.
Meanwhile, her older sister came forward with allegations Johnston had also sexually abused her when she was a child. She testified some of the alleged contact took place while the pastor was supposed to be tutoring her in algebra. The older sibling said she considered the pastor to be her grandfather because, although the two are not related, he was the community’s spiritual leader.
Johnston was one of six area church leaders who were charged with child sexual abuse a few years ago. Others who were charged were Johnston’s nephew, Raymond Lambert; Lambert’s wife, Patty; her brothers Tom and Paul Epling, and Tom Epling’s wife, Laura. Raymond Lambert pastored the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church located near Powell, while the Epling brothers were deacons in the church. The Epling brothers and Patty Lambert are the children of church founder Cecil Epling, who died as a result of injuries suffered in a traffic accident in 1982. Cecil Epling was also the stepfather of Raymond Lambert, making Lambert and his wife, as well as the Epling brothers, step-siblings. Johnston’s church was an offshoot of the McDonald County church.
The Lamberts and the Epling brothers were accused of child sexual abuse charges stemming from incidents that allegedly occurred between 1977 and 2004. But charges against all five were dropped by Prosecuting Attorney Janice Durbin in 2008. In a statement at the time, Durbin said because of “incessant publicity” in the case, the victims were forced to decide “that they can no longer subject themselves or their families to the ongoing scrutiny and pressures of a very public proceeding.”
“Victim testimony is crucial and necessary to prosecute cases such as these,” the statement read. “Therefore, after consultation and discussion with the victims, the state has agreed to dismiss the charges.”
Earlier that year, Durbin decided to drop the charges against Laura Epling, citing reluctance of victims to testify as the reason.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.