A former pastor in Virginia has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing a minor who attended his church and embezzling funds.
Greene County Circuit Court Judge David Barredo sentenced Rodney Locklear, 49, Jan. 5 for the abuse during a hearing that lasted nearly four hours, according to WVIR-TV Ch. 29, an NBC affiliate in Charlottesville. Barredo said that while Locklear may have entered ministry with good intentions, the “lust of the eyes got in the way,” the TV station reported.
Locklear pastored Victory Church in Ruckersville, Virginia. The church has closed its doors since his arrest in February 2025.
Locklear pleaded guilty to 12 charges in September 2025. Charges included child endangerment, sexual abuse of a minor and eight counts of embezzlement for stealing funds from the church, according to WCAV-TV Ch. 19, a CBS affiliate in Charlottesville.
During court proceedings, the victim described the abuse by Locklear as the most traumatic experience of her life, WVIR reported. She said she spent her teenage years living in fear and uncertainty.
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She is receiving treatment at a care facility for harm caused by the abuse.
The victim’s parents also spoke during the hearing. They said their daughter became withdrawn and angry after she started attending the church, according to WVIR.
Investigators found messages between the victim and a Snapchat artificial intelligence bot. Prompts from the victim to the bot included, “He has a wife and a kid,” “But it is my fault,” “I hate what you did to me” and “I deserve to be in hell for what you’ve done.”
Locklear apologized during the hearing and said he prays for those impacted by his actions.
In addition to a decade in prison, Locklear’s sentence includes paying more than $153,000 in restitution for the embezzlement.
Locklear was involved in a weekly juvenile Bible study before his arrest, according to WVVA-TV Ch. 6, an NBC affiliate in Bluefield, West Virginia. The Green County Sheriff’s Office encouraged any families of students who attended the church to discuss Locklear’s arrest with their children and report any relevant information to investigators.
El Informe Roys contacted Locklear’s attorney, T. Brooke Howard III, for comment but did not receive a response before time of publication.
Ann Marie Shambaugh has reported as a print journalist in multiple states, including currently in Carmel, Indiana.
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