MIDLAND (TX)
WNEM [Saginaw, MI]
July 30, 2024
By Blake Keller
An associate pastor with Living Word International Church in Midland now faces new criminal sexual conduct charges after a preliminary examination hearing on Monday, July 29.
Associate Pastor Randy Saylor, 71, is now charged with 11 criminal sexual conduct (CSC) charges from one case, according to Courtney Driscoll, the Midland County Assistant Prosecutor.
He is now charged with two counts of first-degree CSC with a victim under 13, three counts of first-degree CSC with a victim 13 to 15, related by blood or affinity, a count of second-degree CSC with a victim under 13, and four counts of second-degree CSC with a victim 13 to 15 related by blood or affinity.
All charges in this case involve the same victim over a period of time when the victim was 11 to 15 years old, Driscoll said.
The victim took the stand on Monday and testified in detail about the alleged abuse, leading to additional charges for Saylor. The court granted new bond terms that now include no contact with minor children. Prior, it was ordered that he have no unsupervised contact with minor children.
Saylor is free on a $50,000 cash surety bond.
In a separate case, which involves two separate victims and is still pending a preliminary examination in Midland’s District Court, Saylor faces four other charges.
He is charged with two counts of second-degree CSC with a victim under 13, a count of second-degree CSC with a victim 13 to 15 years old and defendant coerced the victim to submit by exerting authority, Driscoll told WNEM-TV5. He also is charged with one count of accosting a child for immoral purposes.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 19.
Back in March, the church suspended and removed Saylor from all church positions when they learned he was the subject of a police investigation. In May, two second-degree criminal sexual conduct charges were lodged against him.
Saylor is the second pastor and third person from Living Word International Church to face criminal sexual conduct charges.
Saylor’s son, Brandon Saylor, was sentenced in April to five to 15 years in prison on three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. In his case, it involved children under the age of 13 and went on for a decade.
The church’s Reverend James Randolph, 58, is charged with two counts of first-degree CSC with a victim through relationship, one count of second-degree CSC with a victim under 13 and the defendant older than 17, and three counts of second-degree CSC with a victim through relationship.
He is out of jail on a $5 million surety bond. In his last court hearing, a request to amend his bond was denied. A Cobbs conference, which typically involves a judge letting a defendant know a likely sentence, is scheduled for Aug. 27 at 8:30 a.m.
Both Saylor and Randolph have been relieved of all their church duties, according to Josh Barclay of Mark T. Barclay Ministries and Living Word International Church. They also have said none of the allegations have taken place at the church.