Lawton Minister Charged with Sex Abuse of Minors

By Sara Celi
KFOR
August 27, 2013

http://kfor.com/2013/08/29/lawton-minister-charged-with-sex-abuse-of-minors/

[with video]

28-year-old Pastor Bobby Burrell faces several charges of sexual abuse of a child.

He’s pastor of the One More Soul Church in Lawton, and police say he used his position to gain the trust of kids at a group home called Sequoyah House. A whole new agency took it over in April, after DHS revoked Sequoyah House’s contract.

Police say the crimes started when Burrell built a relationship with the kids, and then used that to put them in compromising positions. Burrell had a second job at Sequoyah House as a staffer.

“We’ve got this person taking these kids to places they are not supposed to go, at times they are not supposed to go there, and so they have these kids trusting this person, and it’s a repertoire that builds up with the kids,” said Lawton Police Captain Craig Akard.

Lawton police say over time, Burrell repeatedly exposed himself, performed lewd acts on residents, and asked them to watch porn. Police have identified six victims in the case, and arrest warrants have been issued for three other people, all of them Sequoyah House staffers. They face charges of failing to report the abuse.