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Former Baptist youth minister arrested


MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. (BP) — A former Baptist youth minister has been charged with nine counts of sodomy and 22 counts of rape, according to news reports.

Charles Kyle Adcock, 31, a former youth minister at Woodward Avenue Baptist Church in Muscle Shoals, Ala., was arrested Aug. 20 in Texas. The charges are based on incidents alleged between 2010 and 2012 involving a female victim under the age of 16.

“The congregation of Woodward Avenue Baptist Church is deeply saddened by the news that unfolded yesterday regarding a former staff member,” the church said in a statement on its Facebook page. “Our first priority is to offer prayer for the victim and her family…. Woodward Avenue Baptist Church is committed to having a positive influence in the Shoals and beyond….

“… We are willing to work with law enforcement agencies in any way necessary to help in their investigation and would encourage anyone with information about the case to contact law enforcement,” the church said.

Investigators believe some of the incidents occurred at the church and Adcock’s home, WAFF 48 in Huntsville reported. Adcock served at the church from December 2008 until 2012 before he left Alabama. He was arrested while in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and is being held on $500,000 bond, according to news reports.

The current church leadership was not in place during the time of the alleged abuse, Woodward Baptist senior pastor Will Rushing told The Alabama Baptist.

“We’ve been doing some really great things … and now some feel like the wind has been sucked out of our sails,” said Rushing, who was named pastor in November 2013. Neither he, nor any of the church’s current staff, served with Adcock.

Muscle Shoals police are in the process of extraditing Adcock from Texas, according to news reports.
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Compiled by Diana Chandler, Baptist Press general assignment writer/editor. BP reports on missions, ministry and witness advanced through the Cooperative Program and on news related to Southern Baptists’ concerns nationally and globally. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).

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