MARATHON (FL)
ChurchLeaders.com [Wheaton, IL]
April 2, 2024
By Dale Chamberlain
Florida pastor Monte Chitty is reportedly on the run after failing to appear in court to be arraigned on charges of sexual battery, lewd and lascivious behavior, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Editor’s note: This article contains information about sexual abuse and assault that some readers may find disturbing and/or triggering.
Last month, Chitty was arrested after being accused of giving a teen girl alcohol and then sexually assaulting her after she fell unconscious. The sexual assault allegedly took place on the property of First Baptist Church in Marathon, Florida, where Chitty had been serving as pastor. He also lived at the property.
The congregation is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).
Following Chitty’s arrest, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) said in a news release that deputies were initially alerted via an anonymous caller, who said they had heard a girl tell an adult she had been raped.
The MCSO later received a call from Chitty himself, who said that “he wanted to get ahead” of accusations that might be forthcoming. He then claimed that the victim, who is 15 years old, had been drinking and fell unconscious in the library of the church.
The girl told deputies in an interview that Chitty had given her vodka that she believes contained some other substance. She reported immediately feeling weak before falling unconscious. The girl said that she awoke to Chitty performing oral sex on her.
Upon further investigation, deputies found that Chitty had sent the girl lewd text messages that corroborated her story. In those messages, Chitty used a cat emoji to compliment the girl’s genitals before probing her about what she could remember about the assault, according to the MCSO.
“I prefer you pass out after I play not before,” Chitty reportedly texted. “You can’t even remember what I did.”
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Chitty was taken into custody before being released on $75,000 bond. He was set to be arraigned Monday (April 1). However, prosecutors told Local 10 that Chitty fled in a white van with out-of-state license plates and is believed to have left the state.