A man was arrested Friday night  and accused of sex crimes involving children, Rowan County officials said.

Benjamin Ross Hollifield, 25, is being held on a $1 million bond at the Rowan County Detention Center.

Hollifield is charged with indecent liberties with children and statutory rape/sex offense with a person aged 13, 14, or 15 by a person at least six years older.

Hollifield was an associate who worked with youth at Piedmont Baptist Church and has since been fired, church officials said.

The church released the following statement:

As a local church we are always saddened when any of our members are accused of breaking the law. When the allegations involve crimes against children, our church immediately removes that person from any service or contact with children in the ministry and we fully cooperate with law enforcement. We believe that if a child is safe anywhere, they should be safe at church.

As a matter of policy, Piedmont Baptist Church reports all matters of potential child abuse to the authorities, as was done in this case by our senior pastor. We do not cover child abuse and we do not hire child abusers or allow them to serve as volunteers.  We screen our children’s workers and work to maintain appropriate child protection policies. This particular employee has been terminated for abusing a child and violating the church’s trust and policies. The church operates under a senior pastor and non-profit leadership board that are informing the membership to make sure that there are no other victims.

The one known victim and their family are valued members of our church, and we are praying for and ministering to them during this difficult time. We would ask that you please respect their privacy.

Our church has zero tolerance for child abuse. We believe that transparency, child safety, and accountability are essential for successful ministry, and we are fully committed to ministering to our entire community in a safe and responsible manner.