LANCASTER (KY)
Ministry Watch [Matthews NC]
December 28, 2023
By Daniel Ritchie
Charges involve seven victims dating back to 2007.
The former pastor of a church in Lancaster, Kentucky, has accepted a plea deal to drop 12 charges related to the sexual abuse of children in exchange for pleading guilty to one charge of sexual abuse of a child.
Thomas Wall, former pastor of Pentecostal Fellowship Church and former head of Fellowship Christian Academy, was arrested on January 30, 2022, on multiple charges of sexual abuse and sodomy of a victim under 12, involving seven different children beginning in 2007.
Wall has maintained his innocence leading up to his guilty plea last week. In the days after his arrest, Wall sent out the following text message, obtained by WHAS 11, to his church members:
“Dear church and school family, As you may have heard, a legal matter has arisen. While I very much look forward to the day when I am fully exonerated, my lawyer (in whom I trust) has given me specific instructions not to make a statement at this time about the facts of the case. False accusations are hurtful, but we need to look no further than to Christ for answers.”
The terms of Wall’s plea agreement states that for his one guilty plea, he will have 12 other charges dismissed. The plea deal also recommended that he be sentenced to one year in prison. Wall’s sentencing will take place on February 16, 2024.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Why does MinistryWatch report on sex crimes? These stories are tough to read and sometimes even tougher to report, but we think they are vital to our mission to bring transparency, accountability, and credibility to the evangelical church. To read more about why and how we report these stories, read “Why MinistryWatch Reports On Sex Crimes.” You can find that story here.