Jackson Pastor Danny Ray Hollis Faces Civil Suit in Child Sex Case

The Clarion-Ledger
March 26, 2013

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A Jackson pastor accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old is facing a civil lawsuit filed by his accuser.

Allegations surfaced in October 2012 that the Rev. Danny Ray Hollins, pastor of Greater Fairview Missionary Baptist Church, lured and coerced the girl to have sex with him during a summer 2012 church convention. Hollins reportedly stepped down as pastor then but is listed now on the church’s website as the pastor, including a gospel message he authored on the website’s home page.

Jackson police officers investigated the allegations, but Hollins was not charged. However, the Hinds County District Attorney’s office also has investigated, and that office will present their findings to a Hinds County grand jury, said assistant district attorney Jamie McBride.

“It’s not unusual to bring a case directly to the grand jury and for us to investigate it,” McBride said. Legal stipulations prevent his office from saying when a grand jury will convene.

Hollins; his ministry, Danny Ray Hollins Ministries Inc., and the Marriott Hotel in downtown Jackson are named as defendants in the suit filed Monday by the law firm Sweet and Associates of Jackson. And because the abuse allegedly occurred during a General Missionary Baptist State Convention, that group and its national umbrella, the National Baptist Convention USA, also are named. The suit also lists as defendants John Does 1-20.

At the time allegations surfaced last summer, Precious Martin, Hollins’ attorney, said Hollins vigorously denied any wrongdoing.

"We vehemently deny any and all allegations. I will work to prove these allegations are untrue and are completely discredited. I will use all legal means at my disposal to uncover the source of these scandalous allegations and appropriate measures will be taken," Martin, who did not immediately return a phone call Tuesday, said then.

The lawsuit alleges that “over the past few years,” the 13-year-old girl “began developing slight behavioral issues” and as a result, approached Hollis about prayer. Hollins suggested she become more involved with his ministry, the suit alleges.

Hollins “took this time of vulnerability to gain minor plaintiff’s trust so that he could later prey upon the minor sexually for his own personal gratification,” the lawsuit contends.

Hollins in summer 2012 requested that the child help out at the church’s convention at the Jackson Marriott, the lawsuit alleges. Hollins, 50 at the time, “lured and coerced (the child) to a hotel room in the Jackson Marriott and engaged in sexual intercourse with her as well as other lewd and lascivious acts,” the lawsuit alleges.

Marriott employees gave the child a key to Hollins’ room at the hotel’s front desk, despite the child not being listed as a keyholder for that room and being underage, the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit alleges the hotel gave Hollins access to vacant hotel rooms to engage in sex with minor children in addition to the 13-year-old girl. It alleges that members of the Missionary Baptist State Convention assisted Hollins in allowing him to engage in the alleged acts.

Those unnamed church members and officials knew of other instances of inappropriate behavior on Hollins’ part before that time, “but failed to take any actions to protect (the 13-year-old). Instead, church defendants tried to cover those instances up,” the lawsuit alleges.

“Upon information and belief,” the lawsuit states, other minor children and teens have reported “inappropriate conduct and touching” concerning Hollins. “However, directors, deacons and/or trustee of the Greater Fairview Missionary Baptist Church completely, utterly failed to act,” the lawsuit alleges.

Hollins “has a pattern and practice of singling out a select group of young church members and using his authority as pastor over them to ultimately bring them to a point of engaging in sexual relationships,” the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit doesn’t ask for specific damages, but attorneys for the girl are asking for a jury trial.