LAS VEGAS (NV)
ChurchLeaders.com [Wheaton, IL]
May 21, 2024
By Dale Chamberlain
Editor’s note: This article refers to sexual violence, which some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.
A North Las Vegas pastor has agreed to a plea deal in a sex crimes case. Bobby Cornealius Smith of New Beginnings Ministries was charged last year with nine counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault, and one count of child abuse, neglect, or endangerment.
According to KLAS, Smith’s attorney said that Smith, 46, will continue his work as a pastor. He is still listed as the pastor of New Beginnings Ministries on the church’s website.
“We have a no-judgment policy,” the website says. “Come in as you are, but refuse to stay the same, and allow God to complete His perfect work in you.”
As part of the plea agreement, Smith has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of gross lewdness and conspiracy to commit a crime and will serve one year of probation, during which he will not be allowed to be alone with children other than his own biological children.
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He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Smith was arrested and charged in April 2023 after being accused of sexually assaulting three women. One was a family member and the other two were women whom Smith referred to as “God daughters.”
The family member alleged that when she was 17 years old, Smith forced her to use a sex toy multiple times. The woman said that Smith told her the sex toy would keep her from giving in to her “urges.” The woman also said that she told Smith’s wife, Lashawn Nicole Smith, about the abuse, but the pastor’s wife did not report it to police.
Another woman, who was a member of Smith’s church, testified that Smith begged her to perform oral sex on him, pulling down his pants and blocking a stairway. The woman said that she eventually pushed him off and escaped.
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A third woman, also a member of the church, said that when she was 17 years old, Smith texted her a picture of a sex toy and told her that he wanted to teach her how to use it. She reported that he brought up the topic to her more than once.