TEXAS
Texarkana Gazette
August 4th, 2016
by Lynn LaRowe
The lawyer representing a Texarkana pastor accused of sexual misconduct with a teen girl asked the court for a gag order Thursday at the accused’s first court appearance.
David Farren, 41, pastor at Anchor Church in Texarkana, appeared before Circuit Judge Brent Haltom in a second-floor courtroom of Miller County Courthouse. Farren was arrested Wednesday afternoon and booked into the Miller County jail on three counts of first-degree sexual assault. The offenses allegedly occurred when the girl was 16 and 17 years old.
Texarkana lawyer Jason Horton presented Haltom with a motion at Thursday’s hearing asking that the case be sealed. Horton mentioned media coverage of Farren’s arrest and public comments made to online write-ups. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell opposed the motion.
“Mr. Horton has not demonstrated to me why Mr. Farren is special and should be treated any differently than other defendants facing these types of charges,” Mitchell said. “We’ve never put a gag order in place before except in a capital murder case, and that was after repeated (media coverage). I don’t believe this case should be treated any differently.”
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