SHAWNEE (OK)
KFOR [Oklahoma City OK]
November 21, 2024
By Dylan Brown
A 91-year-old man was booked into jail after reports of years-long abuse involving several children at Shawnee First Church of Nazarene.
Dinnel contacted News 4 Thursday night and said he called the Department of Human Services around 2016 after hearing two girls discuss the allegations.
Parents of one of the alleged victims, records show, called police.
It would be around eight years later before the case would come back into light with officials.
Records stated that Dinnel also contacted his lead pastor at the time, Mike Meeks, and that Meaks said they were not allowed to report it because it wasn’t their church. However, it stated that Dinnel still put in an anonymous report to DHS.
Court records show that Dinnel was allegedly threatened that he might not have a job if it was reported further. He told police he believes there aren’t any emails discussing the situation because the Church was allegedly trying to hide documentation surrounding the events.
ORIGINAL STORY
SHAWNEE, Okla. (KFOR) — A 91-year-old man was booked into jail after reports of years-long abuse involving several children at Shawnee First Church of Nazarene.
According to police records 91-year-old Charles Sulivant had been allegedly molesting young girls, and several pastors at the time knew, but didn’t call police.
“I talked to the parents,” said Johnny Stephens who had been the pastor at the time of the alleged abuse. He was one of the pastors at the time who didn’t call the police, News 4 confronted Stephens Thursday.
Documents showed that one victim’s mother reported the alleged abuse her daughter experienced in 2016.
However, charges weren’t officially filed and interviews weren’t conducted until this year. Five other victims were revealed after the original victim came forward.
Their interviews were conducted over the summer while some of the crimes were alleged to have happened before 2016.
In one of the cases, documents allege Sullivant lured a nine-year-old girl to his truck in the church parking lot, promising a gift. There he reportedly touched her inappropriately, kissed her, and tried to “get under her clothes.”
That victim, it said, went to her pastor at the time Stephens. Police were not called.
Records said that the Nazarene District Superintendent at the time Terry Rowland was told. Still, he allegedly told the girl that a family member of hers would lose their minister’s license if it were pursued further.
Another victim told police that when she was twelve years old Sulivant allegedly molested her and tried kissing her on the mouth saying, “I could go for a girl like you.” Police weren’t called after that, reportedly.
Another victim said she was fourteen years old and said when he molested her she was able to elbow him in the groin and get away.
She said she was told she was a “bad kid” and that people wouldn’t believe her.
Several other victims had interviewed with police with similar stories.
Documents stated that a different pastor at the time, Drew Dinnel, had heard about two victims at least and told the superintendent at the time Terry Rowland. However, Rowland allegedly tried telling Dinnel to not report it, and to leave it up to the girls’ families to report it.
Dinnel didn’t call News 4 back immediately when reached out for comment but did reach out Thursday night.
Sulivant was brought in by Shawnee Police for an interview where he allegedly confessed to much of it and said, “You know, I had forgotten all about this.”
When told that the girls didn’t forget, he said, “Well all I can say is I’m sorry about it. We all do a lot of stupid things and this was one of them.”
Even though he seemingly confessed when brought into the department in August, he wasn’t booked into jail until November 5.
News 4 confronted former Pastor Stephens, who said he had since retired as pastor of the church. He stated that he spoke with parents multiple times when told.
People are going to say that Sulivant should have been taken out of the church completely. What do you think?
“Well, I’m not going to excommunicate somebody,” said Stephens.
Why? Even if they’re possibly molesting little girls?
“Well, I need to find out. That’s why I wanted her mother and dad to talk to him and they did. They assured me that they talked to him and things were okay. So, you know every part of it is redemptive. I was trying to redeem Charles,” said Stephens.
But you failed, right? Four or five girls possibly getting molested by this gentleman.
“Did he? Did they?” Asked Stephens. “I tried my best to watch him.”
What would you do if you could go back in time?
“What would I do, police, yeah,” said Stephens. “I would go back and call police.”
And not let him back into the church?
“No, no. Let him in church,” said Stephens.
Even after he allegedly molests girls?
“I’m thinking if I had to do it all over again then yeah. I would have probably called the police. But I was trying to redeem him,” said Stephens. “I was just at the moment trying to figure it all out. So that’s what I did. Maybe it was wrong.”
Maybe?
“I don’t doubt that it was wrong,” said Stephens.
Sulivant posted bond pretty soon after he was booked in Pottawatomie County Public Safety Center. News 4 confronted him at his home in Macomb where he denied an interview.
He is charged with three counts of Lewd Acts with a child under 16 and two counts of Sexual Battery.