Pastor Accused of Touching Child Gets Plea Bargain

By Dustin Wilson
WCNC
December 4, 2015

http://www.wcnc.com/story/news/crime/2015/12/04/pastor-accused-of-touching-child-gets-plea-bargain/76804188/

A Rock Hill pastor accused on inappropriately touching a young boy more than four years ago saw his day in court Friday in York County.

The prosecution and defense literally spent years preparing for a jury trial in the case of Johnny Cabe, but within the last few months a plea deal was struck.

Reverend Johnny Cabe stood before a judge and pleaded no contest to five counts of unlawfully practicing medicine. In 2010, while Pastor at Riverside Baptist Church, Cabe was accused of touching an 11-year-old boy's private parts during a so-called medical exam. At that time Cabe faced charges of committing a lewd act with a child and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

"Mr. Cabe, in his mind, did not do anything wrong with the medical exam. It's part of his religion that there's healing, he does have some training," said B.J. Barrowclough, Cabe's Defense Attorney

Cabe will serve five years probation and will not be allowed to have unsupervised contact with unrelated minors. He will also be placed on a child abuse registry maintained by the Department of Social Services.

The state said the victim's mother did not want her son to take the witness stand and relive what happened.

"She was very pleased with the result that her son did not have to testify. She was pleased with the condition that he not be around children unsupervised for the length of his probation, and so she helped us get to this resolution that we have today," said Erin Joyner, Assistant Solicitor.

Under the judge's orders, Cabe will not be allowed to reduce the five-year probation sentence. Barrowclough said Cabe will remain a pastor.

Although he's never been convicted of crimes of sexual nature, this is the third time York County has made similar allegations against Reverend Cabe.