Former Youth Minister Gets 10 Years for Sex Abuse of Girl

By Emily Lane
The Times-Picayune
August 8, 2016

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2016/08/ex-first_baptist_youth_ministe_1.html

Former First Baptist New Orleans youth minister Jonathan Bailey, 33, was named in a 13-count grand jury indictment alleging improper sexual conduct with and kidnapping of a juvenile girl from the church between July 1, 2014, and Feb. 8, 2015. He pleaded guilty Monday, Aug. 8, 2016, to all counts and was sentenced to serve a total of 10 years. (Photo courtesy of Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office)

Former First Baptist Church of New Orleans youth minister Jonathan Bailey was sentenced Monday (Aug. 8) to serve 10 years in prison after admitting to sexual misconduct involving a member of the church who was 13 when the abuse began.

Prosecutor Bonycle Thornton read a statement in court from the young woman who Bailey victimized, describing how while serving then as her youth minister Bailey "worked hard to get me to trust him instead of my family."

The victim's father testified that the family agreed to the plea deal despite the notion that no sentence seemed long enough, in order to prevent further abuse and protect his daughter.

Bailey pleaded guilty to six counts of molestation, five counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile and one count of obstruction of justice. Though he was sentenced to 27 years total, the plea agreement allows him to serve the sentences at the same time, meaning he will serve a total of 10 years in prison. He must also register as a sex offender, Orleans Criminal District Court Judge Robin Pittman noted.

Pittman said she would have rejected the plea deal had the victim's family not supported the terms. "This is a hard pill for me to swallow," she said, suggesting she believed a harsher penalty was deserved.

Bailey's indictment says the sexual abuse occurred between July 1, 2014, and Feb. 8, 2015, at locations including the Lakeview church at 5290 Canal Blvd. A police report says the abuse also occurred during a retreat in Mississippi. The victim's father said Bailey is facing additional charges in Mississippi, which contributed to their eagerness to resolve the case in Louisiana.

The allegations surfaced a month after the victim's 14th birthday when church officials said they saw surveillance video showing the girl and the youth minister slipping into a closet together during a Feb. 8 church function. Senior pastor David Crosby said he notified the girl's parents and New Orleans police and fired Bailey the next day.

The report says Bailey, who was married at the time of the abuse, communicated with the girl via text messages and directed her to erase them.

The victim said in her statement she missed school, lost a best friend in the fallout of the abuse. She said the ordeal has put her family under stress and impacted all of the youth at her church.

She said in the statement that Bailey chose scripture and skewed its meaning to justify his actions, and "led me to believe it was OK to cross boundaries I had grown up learning" were wrong to cross.

"I pray that no one else has to suffer from abuse from someone that they trust," she said the statement.

A group of about 10 people appeared at the sentencing to support the victim.