By Jeff Mosier
The Dallas Morning News
September 6, 2006
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/tarrant/
stories/090606dnmethornbuckle.720feb0a.html
Arlington - The church founded by convicted rapist Terry Hornbuckle has fired him, and the board of directors said he would not be allowed to return.
The board of Agape Christian Fellowship in Arlington made its decision Saturday, ending Mr. Hornbuckle's unpaid suspension. Charles Richardson, chairman of the church board of directors, said that Agape bylaws added since Mr. Hornbuckle's arrest prevent any convicted sex offenders from working at the church.
"They were old and outdated," Mr. Richardson said about previous bylaws that didn't address Mr. Hornbuckle's legal troubles.
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Terry Hornbuckle (center) was ousted Saturday from the church he founded in 1986. Photo by Michael Ainsworth / DMN |
Mr. Hornbuckle was convicted Aug. 22 of sexually assaulting three women - two of them church members. He was given 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine.
Some women who claimed that Mr. Hornbuckle raped them have also filed lawsuits against him and the church.
The minister's wife, Renee Hornbuckle, remains the interim senior pastor, and a five-member "tribunal" will assess her performance during the next four months.
"They will evaluate pastor Renee and determine her readiness," Mr. Richardson said.
The panel will recommend whether Mrs. Hornbuckle should become the church's second ever senior pastor. Mr. Richardson declined to release the names of the pastors who will evaluate Mrs. Hornbuckle.
Mr. Hornbuckle founded Victory Temple Bible Church with 15 members in 1986, according to the church Web site. The church met in a former Dairy Queen building before changing its name in 1992 to Agape Christian Fellowship.
The church eventually moved to a 30-acre site in southeast Arlington and attendance grew to more than 2,500. Mr. Richardson said that Sunday morning attendance, however, has dropped to about 500 since Mr. Hornbuckle was indicted last year.
The three victims told jurors during the four-week trial that Mr. Hornbuckle drugged and raped them. One former church elder also told jurors that he convinced her to lie to the grand jury to cover up their affair.
The attorneys for Mr. Hornbuckle admitted that he was a womanizer and methamphetamine addict. But they said he needed counseling, not prison.
Mr. Hornbuckle is being held in the Tarrant County jail awaiting transfer to the state prison system. He also has pending charges of sexual assault, possession of methamphetamine, retaliation and tampering with a witness. Prosecutor Sean Colston said this week that he hasn't decided whether to pursue those other charges.
"There is no hurry," Mr. Colston said. "He's not going anywhere."
E-mail jmosier@dallasnews.com
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