Former Jefferson County Youth Pastor Charged with Sex Abuse; Alleged Incidents Happened 30 Years Ago in 3 Alabama Counties
By Kent Faulk
Mack Allen Davis, a former youth pastor at Lakeside Baptist Church, faces sex abuse charges in Jefferson, Cherokee and St. Clair counties after two men stepped forward to say Allen molested them 30 years ago. Davis, 73, whose last address was in Athens, faces 15 charges from the three counties, according to court records and court officials. Davis is currently being held in the Jefferson County Jail on $150,000 bond. Davis on Tuesday appeared before Jefferson County Circuit Judge Teresa Pulliam in an attempt to get his bond reduced. The judge said she wanted to see information about Davis' heart condition before making a decision on bond. Davis was first arrested by Cherokee County authorities April 2 on seven counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of attempted sodomy. He was released on bond, but he was arrested again on May 20 based on a Jefferson County grand jury indictment. The Jefferson County indictment charges Davis with three counts of second degree sex abuse of a minor between the ages of 12 and 16, one count of first degree sodomy, and two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, according to court records. Davis also faces a charge in St. Clair County, the district attorney's office confirmed. Deputy Jefferson County District Attorney Carlos Gonzalez said the charges in all three counties relate to allegations by two men. Davis was a youth pastor at Lakeside Baptist Church in Birmingham during the late 1970s through 1980s when the incidents allegedly happened, Gonzalez said. One man stepped forward after years of counseling to make the allegations, Gonzalez said. The other man stepped forward after learning that law enforcement had launched an investigation into Davis, he said. One victim lives in Cherokee County now and the other in Birmingham, Gonzalez said. Both had been involved in the church when the alleged incident occurred, he said. Both victims claim they were abused by Davis multiple times over a decade from the late 1970s through the late 1980s, Gonzalez said. One victim was 9 years old when the abuse began and was 17 when it ended, he said. The alleged abuse occurred at locations inside and outside the state, including in his church office and at Camp Chula Vista in St. Clair County, Gonzalez said. St. Clair County District Attorney Richard Minor said today that a charge from this year against Davis for that incident was still pending, although it no longer showed up on court records. Adam Danneman, a lead trial attorney for the Jefferson County Public Defenders' Office who represents Davis, had filed a motion Monday seeking a reduced total bond of $18,100 for Davis. Danneman argues in the motion that Davis is a 73-year-old man with no criminal history who had open heart surgery in 2012. Davis lives with an elderly cousin in Athens and is not a flight risk, he stated. Danneman stated in his motion that two of the sex abuse second-degree charges are misdemeanors and the $15,000 bond for each far exceeds the amount recommended. The remainder of the charges have bonds set at the maximum, he stated. "Upon considering that the alleged crimes occurred nearly thirty years ago, that the complaining witnesses are now middle-aged adults and that the defendant is an elderly man in poor health with no criminal history it is clear that these bonds are excessive," Danneman wrote. Danneman also told the judge that there are no minor children living in the house where he lives in Athens. Davis was hired in 1977 by Lakeside Baptist Church in Jefferson County as minister of youth and recreation, and later was also named as director of the church's summer camp. He retired in 1999. Calls to the current pastor and the former pastor who served while Davis was at the church had not been returned prior to the publication of this story. kfaulk@al.com
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