TEXAS
Cleburne Times-Review
When the vote was announced in church on Sunday, members of the New Heart Family Worship Center on Anglin Street thought they were starting the new year right by voting in new Senior Pastor Claude Gilliland III.
Gilliland, 54, had been an associate pastor of the church for several months and was named the new leader after former Pastor Carl Roye fell ill.
But congregation members didn’t know about Gilliland’s past.
“I’m shocked,” said church member Phyllis Kaylor when she found out Gilliland is a registered sex offender. “It’s terrible. People aren’t going to come to our church knowing that.”
According to Texas Department of Public Safety records, Gilliland was convicted of sexual assault of a 35-year-old woman in 1993. He is required to annually re-register with the state. PublicData.com records show Gilliand was also convicted of theft and driving while intoxicated.
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