LITTLE ROCK (AR)
KFOR [Oklahoma City OK]
December 29, 2023
By Dylan Brown
A years-long case continues involving Patrick Stephen Miller, a former First Moore Baptist children’s ministries employee who was alleged to have sexually assaulted two young girls in a different church.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported on the case out of Arkansas that spread into Oklahoma when Miller decided to leave one church job for another.
Miller worked as Associate Children’s Ministry Director for Immanuel Baptist located in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Gazette showed he worked there from 2014 – 2016.
During his time in that position, allegations came about that Miller had played a game of “hide-and-seek” with young kids in his class. He allegedly had them come into a dark closet where the victim response statements say he touched them inappropriately. These events were alleged to have occurred in 2015.
An investigation would eventually be launched on those allegations with at least one victim coming forward at the time.
At the beginning of 2018, Miller found employment in Oklahoma at First Moore Baptist where he would eventually have the title of Associate Children’s Ministry Director again.
He would stay there until shortly before his arrest in December of that same year. Miller was arrested on December 10, 2018, and booked into the Oklahoma County Jail where he would eventually be taken back to Arkansas to answer to the alleged child sexual assault charge.Mother seeks warning sign after daughter’s fatal car accident
In reporting from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, they found a July 2018 letter from the First Moore Baptist Church Kids Pastor Walter Bradley that announced Miller would be leaving. It also stated that there would be a gathering to “celebrate Patrick.”
“On social media that day, Oklahoma City-area children were told, ‘Make sure you are in Kids Worship on the 19th to love on Patrick before he leaves!’” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Frank Lockwood
The church denies knowing any of Miller’s past allegations until only recently.
In a statement from the Lead Pastor Tyler Kelley, “While current leadership only recently became aware of our church’s past connection with the accused, we are disheartened by this troubling conduct and pray for all those who have been impacted. This type of behavior goes against all we stand for as a church and is not tolerable, nor will be tolerated in the future. We have worked to inform our congregation and will share any and
all pertinent information with the authorities. Although we have no relationship with the accused and there has been no indication of any alleged behavior occurring in the context of our church, we will work with authorities in the case that any information comes to light. We again are heartbroken for anyone who has been impacted and believe that all churches should do everything they can to stop this kind of behavior from happening.”
Court records show the victim’s family had asked Immanuel in 2018 to tell their congregation about his past, but the church did not say anything until earlier this month.
Patrick Stephen Miller, 37, who was originally charged with second-degree sexual assault, pleaded guilty instead to misdemeanor harassment in January 2022.
A court hearing on Miller’s motion to expunge his record has been set for Feb. 1 in Little Rock. Meanwhile, a second victim has come forward, and Miller remains under investigation, according to multiple news reports.