LAWTON (OK)
KSWO [Lawton, OK]
October 23, 2026
By Cole Brumbelow and Kemar Noel
A Lawton pastor has been arrested and faces multiple felony sexual abuse and rape charges.
Lawton Police Department officers arrested James Lamont Newton, 53, following the execution of a search warrant on Oct. 21 in connection with an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse.
According to court documents, LPD began investigating allegations reported in September 2026 that Newton sexually assaulted two juvenile males. The first reported incident occurred in 2010, with several additional instances of alleged sexual abuse reported from that time through 2023.
Court documents state one victim alleged Newton used gifts, church status and financial assistance to gain control over him. The victim also reported multiple occasions in which Newton shamed boys within the church for failing to comply with demands and allegedly became physically violent if they refused.
Investigators also noted two previous reports of sexual abuse allegations made against Newton in 1998 and 1999, examining whether those incidents showed patterns of conduct matching the current investigation.
“The individuals associated with those reports subsequently became uncooperative with investigators,” police stated in court records. “Information obtained during the current investigation indicated that those individuals reported being offered monetary payments or other consideration in exchange for not cooperating with investigators.”
Newton is charged with five counts of first-degree rape by force or fear, five counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16 and five counts of sodomy by force or fear.
Jimmy L. Butler, 52, was also charged with accessory to a felony as part of the investigation. Investigators accuse Butler of knowing about the sexual abuse, driving victims to Newton and “standing at the front of the door to keep people out while James Newton was sexually abusing his victims.”
If convicted, Newton faces up to life in prison. Butler faces up to four years in prison.
All information in this article is based on court documents.