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Florida SBC Pastor Charged With Sexually Assaulting Minor
Ministry Watch ^ | March 6, 2024 | Tony Mator

Posted on 03/06/2024 2:04:59 PM PST by Morgana

Just two weeks after the Southern Baptist Convention announced a new sexual abuse prevention and response curriculum for member congregations, new allegations have rocked a small SBC church in the Florida Keys.

Monte Lavelle Chitty, 62, pastor of First Baptist Church in Marathon, has been charged with sexual assault, lewd lascivious behavior and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

A Monroe County Sheriff’s Office news release said a 15-year-old girl accused the married pastor of sexually molesting her after serving her spiked alcohol at the church. A subsequently released arrest report detailed that the alleged victim “felt weak, could not walk and eventually lost consciousness” before waking up to Chitty touching her genitals.

“She stated after he was done and left, she got up and ran out and contacted her grandmother to pick her up,” the arrest report said.

Police were first alerted by an anonymous caller claiming to have heard the girl tell an adult she had been raped. Then they received a second call — from the alleged rapist.

“Chitty said he believed he was about to be accused of something and he wanted to get ahead of it,” said MCSO spokesperson Becky Herrin. “He said a young girl at his church had been drinking and had passed out on a couch in the library of the church. He said he helped her to lie down on the couch but did not touch her after that.”

However, police found text messages between Chitty and the girl that seemed to corroborate her story. The graphic messages, described in the arrest report, referenced the sexual encounter and the girl’s unconscious state and included compliments of her body parts.

Police said Chitty “admitted to sending the text messages but later invoked his right to an attorney and denied the sexual contact.”

Chitty, who Herrin also described as a “registered volunteer with the Sheriff’s Office,” was arrested Monday, March 4, the day after the alleged assault, and released that night on a $75,000 bond.

As of Wednesday, First Baptist Church of Marathon had not released a statement on its website or social media regarding the allegations.

Main photo: Monte Lavelle Chitty / Screengrab via Local 10


TOPICS: Evangelical Christian
KEYWORDS: alcohol; baptist; beer
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"after serving her spiked alcohol at the church"

Alcohol at a Baptist Church? As Aunt Esther would say "HEATHEN!"

1 posted on 03/06/2024 2:04:59 PM PST by Morgana
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To: Morgana

“Spiked alcohol” is an odd term ...


2 posted on 03/06/2024 2:06:52 PM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: bitt; ransomnote

whut


3 posted on 03/06/2024 2:07:20 PM PST by thinden (buckle up ....)
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To: Morgana

Pedophiles should not be pastors.


4 posted on 03/06/2024 2:11:23 PM PST by reasonisfaith (What are the personal implications if the Resurrection of Christ is a true event in history?)
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To: reasonisfaith

Fifteen will get you twenty ...


5 posted on 03/06/2024 2:13:22 PM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: reasonisfaith

Better yet, pedophiles shouldn’t even exist.


6 posted on 03/06/2024 2:13:53 PM PST by No name given (Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: NorthMountain

No it’s not. He probably put GHB or Rohypnol in it to knock her out and he did what he wanted.


7 posted on 03/06/2024 2:15:06 PM PST by Morgana ( Always a bit of truth in dark humor.)
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To: NorthMountain

And why was a 15 year old minor drinking an alcoholic beverage anyways?! That’s what I’d like to know!


8 posted on 03/06/2024 2:16:48 PM PST by No name given (Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: Morgana

A Chitty preacher


9 posted on 03/06/2024 2:17:05 PM PST by bigbob ( )
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To: Morgana

OK. I’ll grant that as a possible interpretation. However ... “Spiked” usually refers to adding alcohol to what is normally a non-alcoholic beverage.


10 posted on 03/06/2024 2:17:13 PM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: No name given

“Underage” drinking is hardly surprising. Adults shouldn’t be facilitating it; particularly not adults in positions of power or authority over minors.


11 posted on 03/06/2024 2:18:26 PM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: NorthMountain

Exactly.


12 posted on 03/06/2024 2:20:16 PM PST by No name given (Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: reasonisfaith

Pedophilia is a valid medical condition caused by acute lead deficiency; but fortunately, there’s a quick and effective remedy available in a variety of popular calibers.


13 posted on 03/06/2024 2:20:24 PM PST by Cold_Red_Steel
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To: NorthMountain
“felt weak, could not walk and eventually lost consciousness”

I think this statement makes it pretty clear that there was more than alcohol in the minor’s alcohol. So, it was a "spiked" drink. I suppose alcohol was used to get the girl to drink anything, in the first place, and possibly cover for the effects.

I agree that the description is oddly written, and I had to read it twice to understand what was being said. If it had said, “an alcohol spiked drink", I would think your interpretation was correct.

14 posted on 03/06/2024 2:27:15 PM PST by Empire_of_Liberty ( )
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To: Empire_of_Liberty

We used to call it a “Mickey Finn”.


15 posted on 03/06/2024 2:30:02 PM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: Morgana

Coaches, cops and clergymen. The three C’s of pedophilia.


16 posted on 03/06/2024 2:46:32 PM PST by babble-on
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To: Morgana

Has anyone done a count yet on how many fake pastors we have who claim to be on our side? It’s gotta be in the thousands.


17 posted on 03/06/2024 3:30:18 PM PST by sergeantdave (AI training involves stealing creative content from others and not paying a penny)
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To: Morgana

I only got Welch’s grape juice at my Baptist church.


18 posted on 03/06/2024 3:47:08 PM PST by Hyman Roth
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To: Morgana

pedophiles have no redeeming qualities.
They can’t be rehabilitated.
Kill them.
And those that support them.
This would include prosecutors and judges.


19 posted on 03/06/2024 4:12:10 PM PST by joe fonebone (And the people said NO! The End)
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To: Morgana

UNPRINTABLE!


20 posted on 03/06/2024 4:45:31 PM PST by sauropod (Ne supra crepidam.)
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