TENNESSEE
Jackson Sun
David Thomas, dgthomas@jacksonsun.com November 8, 2014
A St. Louis organization is seeking an investigation into discrepancies in statements made by Mark McSwain, the former pastor of First Baptist Church of Bemis, during a sex abuse case involving the church.
David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), said Friday at a news conference in Jackson that McSwain should possibly be charged with filing a false report with the Jackson Police Department.
“Nobody should be able to lie to the police,” Clohessy said. “(McSwain) either lied the first time or the second time, and he should not get away with that.”
Clohessy held his news conference inside the lobby of the office building at 225 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, where District Attorney General Jerry Woodall has his office.
Asked about Clohessy’s statements, Woodall said, “I’m not in position to comment on something I need to refresh myself on.”
Neither McSwain, who is not listed with the past ministers on First Baptist Bemis’ website, nor associate pastor John Norvell could be reached for comment.
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