A Nazarene pastor arrested by authorities in connection with the armed robbery of an Alabama bank had a female accomplice, according to news reports.
Kevin Robert McDonald, 40, entered the Phenix City Girard Bank with a handgun and demanded money, reported by News 3 WRBL. Police say an undisclosed amount of money was taken from the bank and no injuries were reported, according to the local news report.
McDonald was taken into custody in Columbus and was being held in the Russell County Jail on $100,000 bail, a jail employee confirmed.
A message left for a detective at the Russell County Sheriff’s Office after hours was not returned.
Also taken into custody was Lindsay Dara Jenkins in Columbus. The Occupational Therapy Assistant Physician faces a first-degree robbery charge, as reported by CNAW2 News.
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Sources close to the investigation say McDonald and Jenkins were recently married.
McDonald and his former wife Jennifer pastored the Landmark Church of the Nazarene in Phenix City. Social media posts show the last mention of McDonald was April 2024. The church’s website does not identify McDonald in any pastoral or leadership role.
A message left on the church’s answering machine and the denomination’s central office in Lenexa, Kansas after hours was not returned.
According to the Citizen of East Alabama website, McDonald took over the church Feb. 2021.
McDonald told the publication; he had only been a Christian for 12 years.
“Before I was a Christian, I was pretty broken. I was hooked on drugs, alcohol, and many other bad things,” the online news outlet reported.
McDonald said in the interview how his life was changed by Christ.
His ministry started in 2012, according to the publication.
Sheila Stogsdill is a freelance print journalist and digital reporter, primarily covering crime issues for KSN/KODE.
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7 Responses
Lay hands on no man suddenly….
Maybe his church should have paid him better 🤷🏻♂️ (j/k)
Praying that Kevin R. McDonald can be restored to the wife of his youth, Jennifer, and his three Children. Malachi 2:14 and Malachi 4:6 warns that this must happen, or else. Then, he will have the true HelpMeet that Yahshua meant for him, all along – if he would not rebel.
Preacher-man pulls a bank heist.
I literally have no words to say.
Only a couple “News of the Weird”-like one-liners that popped into my head as alternate headlines:
“Just like Bonnie & Clyde, Except CHRISTIAN(TM)!”
Don’t think Nazarenes are Pentecostal or Charismatic, so “‘God told me to…’ Bank Heist” probably wouldn’t apply.
Shouldn’t the headline read former Nazarene pastor. It doesn’t look like he was on staff when the crime was committed in reading other write ups on this.
Agreed. That would be better headline.
No excuses whatsoever. This is horrific but I do have to think that his drug addiction had something to do with this.