MISSOURI
Associated Baptist Press
Additional charges alleging sex crimes by Pastor Travis Smith come as the Southern Baptist Convention takes a stronger stand against child abuse.
By Bob Allen
A Southern Baptist pastor in Missouri awaiting trial for alleged sex crimes now faces additional charges filed June 10.
Local media report that the Moniteau County prosecutor filed new charges of statutory rape and statutory sodomy against 42-year-old Travis Smith for alleged incidents in 1998 and 1999 involving a female aged 14 to 15 at the time.
Smith, pastor of First Baptist Church in Stover, Mo., now faces a total of six felony counts ranging from forcible rape to sexual abuse. A preliminary hearing is scheduled Monday, June 17, for the new Class C felony charges, which are punishable by up to seven years in prison.
The new charges coincide with this week’s passage of a Southern Baptist Convention resolution calling on churches to take a firm stand on protecting children from abuse. Early reviews of the statement were mixed.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.