A 48-year-old Tennessee youth pastor was arrested last week and charged with statutory rape of a 17-year-old girl.
Wesley Brobeck, a former youth minister at Freedom Fellowship Church in Greeneville, was arrested Saturday night at his home for the alleged crime. Police from White Pine, located a half hour away, also charged Brobeck with sexual battery by an authority figure, according to a statement Sunday.
Police learned of the alleged misconduct Friday, after Freedom Fellowship notified police about the situation. Church leaders obtained information that indicated Brobeck was engaged in the offense, police said.
After the church learned this, leaders immediately fired Brobeck.
Freedom Fellowship’s lead pastor, Scott Childs, confirmed Brobeck’s termination in a post on Facebook, adding that the church is fully cooperating with authorities.
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“We are doing all that we can to assist them until all legal matters are resolved,” Childs said in the post. “We are committed to doing what is righteous according to the commands of Scripture and want to assure you that this particular case is no exception.”
An archived version of Freedom Fellowship’s website lists Brobeck’s role as the children’s pastor.
The nondenominational church is located 70 miles east of Knoxville, Tennessee. It was first started in the 2000s, according to its website.
Police said after they arrested Brobeck, he was transferred to Jefferson County jail. He remains in custody there.
“The White Pine Police Department recognizes the seriousness and sensitivity of this case,” a police statement said. “Our thoughts are with the victim and their family during this difficult time. The department remains committed to protecting victims, thoroughly investigating allegations of abuse, and holding offenders accountable under the law.”
Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.
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3 Responses
As distressing at this is, it’s nonetheless encouraging to see a church following abuse protocols: immediately reporting the incident(s) to authorities. No excuse, no pious subtext. No piling on church abuse for the victims by supporting the authority figure.
I too commend this church for acting swiftly. I do though have another concern with statutory rape: even though the person is a minor, what are we doing as a society to help our young people avoid such situations, and not be tempted – or be a temptation-for them.
Absolutely disgusting what he did, but great to see the church leaders take decisive action – reporting him when they found out AND firing him (rather than let him ‘retire’ or ‘stand down’ himself.