Support Group for Victims of Sex Abuse by Clergy Commends "Whistleblower" in Muscle Shoals Pastor's Arrest

By Kelly Kazek
AL.com
February 6, 2014

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2014/02/support_group_for_victims_of_s.html

Jeff Eddie (Contributed by Muscle Shoals Police Department)

The director of a nationwide support group for victims of sex abuse by religious leaders said he hopes the whistleblower in the case of a Muscle Shoals pastor will encourage others to come forward.

David Clohessy, director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, issued a statement this morning after reading about the arrest of Jeffrey Dale Eddie, 41, a children's minister at Highland Park Baptist, on two counts of child pornography, 31 counts of second-degree sodomy, and three counts of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12. He is being held in Colbert County Jail on $1 million bond.

It's the second such case at a Colbert County church within a month. In January, Oliver Brazelle, 79, the former music director at the First United Methodist Church in Sheffield, was charged by Lauderdale County authorities with second-degree sexual abuse and one-count of second-degree sodomy.

In the case of Jeff Eddie, known to congregants as "Brother Jeff," police received a tip from a church staff member, an act Clohessy praised.

"We are so grateful to the brave whistleblower that alerted authorities," Clohessy said. "It is through the brave action of whistleblowers and victims that dangerous predators are kept away from children. We hope his arrest will give courage to anyone who may have seen, suspects, or suffered sexual abuse to call authorities."

He said the Chicago-based SNAP is the world's oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims and "we also have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers."

Brett Pitman, lead pastor at Highland Park Baptist, encouraged any additional victims of Eddie to speak out or, if needed, to call the church at 256-383-0394 for counseling.

Muscle Shoals Police Chief Robert Evans complimented the swift action of the staff of Highland Park, whom he said contacted authorities as soon as they became "concerned" by Eddie's behavior. Evans said "multiple" victims had come forward but he did not release the number of victims.

Evans said investigators are still interviewing witnesses and victims and additional charges will be filed against Eddie. Victims or witnesses are asked to call Muscle Shoals police at 256-383-6746.

Eddie's wife, Melissa, with whom he has two sons, filed for divorce Monday, court records show.