OHIO
Patch
By Chris Mosby, Patch Staff
May 14, 2018
TOLEDO, OH — A former Toledo-area pastor had sex with two underage girls, including a victim of sexual abuse, according to a plea agreement released by the Department of Justice. Kenneth Butler will now likely spend the next 17 years of his life in prison.
“This defendant has admitted to crimes that include preying on a foster child who was previously the victim of sexual abuse, and he committed these crimes in a house of worship,” U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman said. “Butler may hold himself out to the community as a pastor, but in the eyes of the law he is a criminal who pays money to sexually assault children.”
According to Butler’s plea agreement, between 2015 and March 2017, the pastor had sex with two girls both under the age of 18. On different occasions, he gave the girls small amounts of cash or rides before engaging in sexual acts.
Prior to coming to Toledo, Butler was a pastor of a Detroit church for five years. His church closed in 2013, and then he moved south and became a member of the Greater Life Christian Center in Toledo. Butler became friends with Anthony Haynes, who was the lead pastor of the church at that time.
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