Mo. pastor accused of molesting girls

[Judi Lynn]

Mo. pastor accused of molesting girls
2006/8

By MARCUS KABEL, Associated Press Writer 15 minutes ago

WASHBURN, Mo. - The minister of a rural Ozarks church, his wife and her two brothers have been accused of molesting young girls from their congregation for years, sometimes as part of a religious ritual, officials said.

For 10 years, the pastor told the girls, "We are preparing your body for service to God," the prosecutor said.

All four defendants face molestation and sodomy charges. Their attorney said they denied the allegations.

Lambert‘s church is on property owned by the Epling brothers and houses up to 100 people on a 100-acre farm in western McDonald County, Sheriff‘s Deputy Michael F. Le Seuer said.
(snip/...)

http://www.onelocalnews.com/duntonsprings/ViewArticle.aspx?id=961&source=2

[skids]

1. Did we actually go a whole two days...

...without a new story of fundie pervs popping up? How'd that ever happen? :-)

[Judi Lynn]

3. When I saw the headline, I assumed it was the fundie preacher from

YESTERDAY! Should have known better by now!

[Judi Lynn]

2. Pastor, family members accused of molesting congregants in religious ritua

Pastor, family members accused of molesting congregants in religious ritual

note nature of following WASHBURN, Mo. (AP) _ Missouri authorities are accusing a pastor, his wife and her two brothers of molesting young girls at their congregation for years. Officials say the abuses were sometimes part of a religious ritual.

Court records say the Reverend Raymond Lambert, of Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church, near the town of Washburn, repeatedly had sex with two underage girls with the help of his wife, Patty.

A prosecutor accuses the pastor of telling the girls their bodies were being prepared "for service to God." The brothers are accused of having sex with girls as young as age four.

Lambert's church and houses for up to 100 people are on a 100-acre farm compound.
(snip/...)

http://www.fox12news.com/Global/story.asp?S=5319490

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sex Crime Charges
Monday, August 21, 2006


Four area residents under investigation for alleged sex crimes surrender to authorities.
51 year old Reverend Raymond Lambert, his wife 49 year old Patty Lambert along with two deacons in their church, 51 year old Tom Epling and 53 year old Paul Epling turned themselves over to McDonald County Sheriff`s deputies today.
All four posted bond and are not in custody tonight.
The four live with their families on a religious compound near the Powell community.
They are facing various counts of alleged child molestation, alleged statutory rape and alleged statutory sodomy.
(snip/...)

http://www.ksntv.com/news/default.asp?mode=shownews&id=4177

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yuck! Short newsclip:

~snip~
"One of the things that I was told was that they were preparing their bodies for service to God,” said Michael Lesuer of McDonald County. “The parent of one of the victims told me that he was told by a church elder that why would a man plant a tree and then not sample the fruits of it's harvest."
(snip)

http://www.49abcnews.com/news/2006/aug/22/missouri_church_members_face_criminal_charges/

[wakeme2008]

4. They are out of Jail.... I find this strange

http://www.ksntv.com/news/default.asp?mode=shownews&id=4177

All four posted bond and are not in custody tonight.
The four live with their families on a religious compound near the Powell community.
They are facing various counts of alleged child molestation, alleged statutory rape and alleged statutory sodomy.
Prosecutors say the alleged incidents happened between 1977 and 2004.
The four are expected to return to court on October 2nd.

[Sherman A1]

5. But, of course

they are good "religious" folks. I am sure they will show up in court....

[regnaD kciN]

6. Hey, at least they were having sex with young GIRLS...

I mean, it's not like they were homosexuals or anything perverted like that! :sarcasm:

[maddezmom]

7. locking

discussion here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=162x6434

[maddezmom]

8. sorry for the mixup, I've unlocked the thread

The story I referenced was unrelated and a nice DU'er sent me a PM.

[Broken_Hero]

9. Yeah...saw this on the local news...

I thought they were from Powell, MO...they went to the courthouse in Pineville,MO according to the local news here...I'm in McDonald County and there has been a bit of a hub bub over this...most people I have "heard talking about it" have stood up for the church folk, and dismissed the victims...:(

This sort of thing happens quite a bit in this county. Saddening...:(

[MissMarple]

10. An attentive, thoughtful soul has put a web site to monitor this.

http://grandvalleybaptistchurch.blogspot.com

Scroll down, there are links to local news articles and a local communications teacher's blog which is following the events, as well.

And who is this judge, this John LePage? This is from the Tanner Report, the teacher's blog:

"Hopefully, reporters will see fit to dig into court records and find out how accused sex offenders are treated in McDonald County and elsewhere. When people face multiple counts of sexual offenses involving children, are there normally no restrictions placed on their contact with children? John LePage placed none on the Lamberts and Eplings. Are there usually no restrictions placed on the movement of suspected sex offenders. Judge LePage placed none on the Lamberts and Eplings. I would be interested in seeing if this is standard procedure for sex cases in McDonald County and in surrounding counties, or if the Grand Valley group received preferential treatment."

This is all too, too weird. The Lamberts and the Eplings took off for a private, members only RV resort in NE Oklahoma. They were, however, required to leave after reporters notified the manager of the resort of their arrests and the nature of the charges.