Scroll down for John Langworthy stuff.

I'm keeping the John Langworthy story on the front page for now, but a couple of local stories are in the news now. More information will be available after JL's scheduled court date on October 5th or as soon as it develops.

Please, if you were a victim of JL or any other abuser or have information about this case or abuse of anyone, regardless of how insignificant the information may seem, contact the proper authorities and let them sort it out. In Clinton, that would be detective Josh Frazier at 601-924-5252.

If the abuse or suspicion of abuse occurred in Jackson, MS:

Jackson Police Sex Crimes:

601-960-1210

In addition to either of the two police departments listed above, to provide any information regarding the JL case or abuse in Hinds County, MS, contact Assistant D.A. Jamie McBride at 601-968-6568.

If the abuse or suspicion of abuse occurred at Prestonwood or in the Dallas area:

This is a great list of victim's services information.

Dallas Police non-emergency number:

214-744-4444

Child exploitation unit:

214-671-4211

Dallas Children's Advocacy Center

214-818-2600

DCAC victim assistant coordinator:

214-818-2613

DCAC will act as the go-between if you do not want to contact the police directly. Don't worry about any statute of limitations. What may seem to be an insignificant detail may be the missing puzzle piece the investigators need. Go to them and tell them what you know and let them determine if it's important! They will keep your identity confidential.


Scroll down for all the John Langworthy articles and comments or click on these links:

John Langworthy Arrested (Current JL thread. Comments are active.)

Comments are closed on these older articles, but the articles and previous comments are still available.

Church Leaders Lawyer Up In Sex Crime Investigation

Wolves in the Music Ministry - Part 2

Wolves in the Music Ministry

John Langworthy Arrested

John Langworthy was arrested Wednesday, September 7th.


Newspaper articles:

Clarion Ledger >> Former Clinton music minister faces sex crime charges in 2 cities

Clarion Ledger >> Ex-minister facing sex charge

Associated Baptist Press >> Former music minister charged with sex crimes

Clarion Ledger >> Ex-minister faces Oct. 5 trial on sex counts

**NEW** Clarion Ledger >> Church should be a safe place for kids


Television:

WAPT-TV >> Former Clinton Minister Faces Sex Crime Charges

WJTV-TV >> Former Minister Arrested For Sex Crimes



WJTV-TV >> Ex-Minister's Arrest Sparks Reaction


WLBT-TV >> Former music minister faces 8 sex-related charges



FOX 40 >> UPDATE: John Langworthy Arrested

FOX 40 >> What's Next for John Langworthy

FOX 40 >> John Langworthy Arrest

WAPT-TV >> Former Minister Facing Sex Charges

WLBT-TV >> Clinton teacher out on bond for alleged sex crimes


Blogosphere:

Stop Baptist Predators >> Mississippi rep seeks secrecy for church

Stop Baptist Predators >> Admitted minister-molester: "I was not asked to resign"


Previous articles:

Wolves in the Music Ministry

Wolves in the Music Ministry - Part 2

Church Leaders Lawyer Up In Sex Crime Investigation

Church Leaders Lawyer Up In Sex Crime Investigation

Well, this is just sad. Unfortunately, it was also predictable. I was really hoping Morrison Heights Baptist Church was going to be the exception and not the rule.


Read along and let this sink in:

According to his alleged victim, John Langworthy's sex crimes took place 22 years ago when the former minister of music at Morrison Heights Baptist Church was babysitting.

McBride: "And obviously it's a very serious allegation."

Prosecutors say the accusations against the 49-year-old husband and father include multiple acts of child molestation.

McBride: "I guess it really would fall under both sexual battery and gratification of lust, both lustful touching and penetration.

Assistant district attorney, Jamie McBride, wants to know what church leaders know about Langworthy's possible past sex crimes, but elders at Morrison Heights are now speaking through their attorney.

McBride: "The attorney for them has asked us to come up with some law to talk about whether or not that's privileged conversations or not."

Ross Adams, WJTV News, Channel 12


Could this be what all the "lawyering up" is about?

Who may report a suspected case of child abuse?

In accordance with Section 43-21-353 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, Annotated, "Any attorney, physician, dentist, intern, resident, nurse, psychologist, social worker, family protection worker, family protection specialist, child caregiver, minister, law enforcement officer, public or private school employee or any other person having reasonable cause to suspect that a child is a neglected child or an abused child, shall cause an oral report to be made immediately by telephone or otherwise and followed as soon thereafter as possible by a report in writing to the Department of Human Services, ..."

What will happen if you know of abuse and don't report it?

Upon being found guilty, the individual shall be punished by a fine not to exceed Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00), or by imprisonment in jail not to exceed one (1) year, or both. Mississippi Code of 1972, Annotated Section 43-21-353(7).


Related articles:

Clarion Ledger >> August 28th >> Abuse case talks called privileged

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services >> Clergy as Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect: Summary of State Laws

Wolves in the Music Ministry

Wolves in the Music Ministry - Part 2

Letter to the editor in the Clarion Ledger from David Clohessy, national director of SNAP.

WAPT-TV >> Grand Jury To Consider Case Against Former Clinton Minister

Associated Baptist Press >> Prosecutors want information from church about former minister suspected of child abuse

We saw the same stonewalling from Bellevue during the Paul Williams investigation.

Deny, Deny, Deny!

Wolves in the Music Ministry - Part 2

This will be a continuation of the original Wolves in the Music Ministry post. The comment stream was getting pretty long.

The cover-up of John Langworthy's "indiscretions" and "mistakes" (his words) while at Prestonwood is coming back to bite as evidenced by the lead story by Brett Shipp on WFAA-TV's August 8th 10:00 p.m. broadcast. Thank you, Amy, for your advocacy for victims and for your persistence in bringing this story to light. If it were not for your efforts I have no doubt nothing would have changed.

WFAA-TV >> Disturbing revelations about former Prestonwood minister

Bob Allen has addressed this story:

Associated Baptist Press >> Abuse confession raises questions of cover-up by Baptist mega-church

Associated Baptist Press >> Pastor renews call for database of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse

Associated Baptist Press >> Christa Brown >> Opinion: Prestonwood saga shows clergy abuse database is overdue


It also made the newspapers:

August 9th:

Dallas Morning News >> Former Prestonwood minister admits to 'sexual indiscretions' with students more than 20 years ago

Clarion Ledger >> Clinton music minister confesses to 'sexual indiscretions'

Clarion Ledger >> Clinton minister quits over allegations

August 10th:

The Republic >> Recently resigned music minister admits long-ago sexual misconduct with teen boys

Hattiesburg American >> Ex-music minister admits past sexual misconduct

August 15th:

Clarion Ledger >> Man accuses former Clinton music minister of molestation

Clarion Ledger >> Ex-choir leader in sex probe

August 19th:

Clarion Ledger >> Hinds DA office probes molestation claims against former Clinton music minister

August 20th:

Clarion Ledger >> DA probing sex abuse allegations

The Oklahoman >> Enid pastor renews call for clergy sex abuse database


And Jackson, MS TV:

August 9th:

WAPT-TV >> Former Youth Minister, Teacher Makes Startling Admission

WLBT-TV >> Clinton music minister makes eye-opening confession

August 10th:

WAPT-TV >> No Criminal Complaints Filed Against Former Minister

WJTV-TV >> Former Music Minister Admits To Sexual Indiscretions

WJTV-TV >> Clinton Parents in Shock Over Former Minister's Confession

WJTV-TV >> Ex-Music Minister Admits Past Sexual Misconduct

August 11th:

FOX 40 >> Church Scandal

August 15th:

WAPT-TV >> Clinton Police Investigate Complaint Against Former Minister

WLBT-TV >> Former Clinton church music minister under investigation

WJTV-TV >> Police To Meet With Minister's Alleged Victim

August 16th:

WAPT-TV >> Former Minister's Accuser Expected To Speak To Police

August 19th:

WLBT-TV >> Questions about sexual misconduct continue for music minister


Around the Blogosphere:

Wade Burleson >> Full Circle: Why the SBC Child Predator Database Is Needed Now, Not Later (Comments have been reopened.)

FBC Jax Watchdog >> In the Langworthy/Prestonwood Story, Bloggers Once Again Show They are Sorely Needed to Get Truth Out

Zwinglius Redivivus >> The Catholics Aren’t The Only Ones Who Cover Up Their Clergy’s Evils

The Wartburg Watch >> Does the SBC Fear Women Pastors More Than The Molestation of Children?

Wade Burleson >> The Reason the SBC Will Not Create a Minister Sex Abuse Data Base Is Liability, Not Polity

A now-former teacher at Prestonwood Christian Academy was recently indicted for having an inproper relationship with a 17-year-old female student. Although the student went to his apartment willingly on several occasions, he was 26 at the time. In Texas it's a second-degree felony, regardless of the parties' ages, for an educator to have an improper relationship with a student.

Plano Star >> Former Prestonwood teacher indicted

Then there was Joe Barron.

Barron videos

Apparently Johnson and Barron's cases were handled swiftly by the administration at Prestonwood. However, Barron's story was plastered all over the national news at the time, and Johnson's was covered in the local news, so they really didn't have much choice. With Langworthy it's less clear about the timeline and who knew what when, but apparently the church and school district in Clinton were never warned about him.

If a database of convicted, confessed, and credibly accused sexual predators was available to Baptist churches, and if the churches would avail themselves of it, a lot of these cases could be prevented. When will Baptist leaders wake up, stop covering for their own, and establish some method of accountability within their ranks? I know, I know! Baptist churches are autonomous. Unless, of course, they do something really bad like call a woman preacher. Autonomy is such a relative term in "Baptistland."

TRANSCRIPT of John Langworthy's August 7, 2011 statement to Morrison Heights Baptist Church

VIDEO

Wolves in the Music Ministry

Update: After over 240 comments in this thread, discussion will be continued here.





Two posts back the comment stream began to veer off topic and onto a much more serious subject than the original post. It began with this comment:



Anonymous said...



I have been trying now for about 9 months to warn about a predator pedophile music minister. This man was my youth music minister at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas in the mid 80s. He became a close family friend, even living with my family for a while. I was on the church staff as a youth intern as a college student in 1989when this minister was fired abruptly due to credible accusations of sexual abuse by several boys in the church. He was confronted by church staff, including the head pastor at the time, who is still the head pastor today, Dr. Jack Graham. This offender admitted to the abuse. The church did not report his crimes to the police, which was mandated by law starting in 1971, just fired him and told him to leave. Church members were not informed.



He packed up that week and moved back to his home state of MS where he is on staff now as music minister of all ages at a church in Clinton, outside of Jackson, Morrison Heights Baptist Church. He also teaches choir at the local public high school. I have spoken with the school superintendent, head pastor, as well as local law enforcement. Both the school and church have confronted this man, and he admits to the abuse that occurred in Dallas, as well as to abusing a boy in MS that he babysat prior to his job in Dallas.



I know that local law enforcement is very concerned and has advised that this minister be fired, yet he remains on staff. The MS pastor and elders told me that they are concerned with protecting this minister’s reputation, as “everyone in the [town] knows [him.] and that “he has the largest church youth choir in the state.” I have even been contacted by this man’s attorney who is a church elder and has heard accounts of the abuse from victims and admission by his client. This attorney is also a MS state rep. The attorney asked if I would speak with him to “discuss a resolution.” I said no. The MS pastor has told me that they “feel my pain.” I expressed to them that I am not a victim, but I am doing this as a victims’ advocate to protect children.



I have also contacted Prestonwood Baptist to plead that they do the right thing and report these crimes against children that occurred on their watch. Silence has been the response. Recently Christa Brown who founded Stop Baptist Predators posted my story on her blog.



1:13 PM, May 27, 2011



I've reposted the subsequent comments in this thread, and the discussion can continue here.