An Ohio pastor has been arrested and arraigned for six felony sexual assault charges, according to Franklin County court records.
George Bell, 72, the former pastor at Anchor Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio, was arraigned last week for four counts of rape and two counts of gross sexual imposition, court records state.
Bell was first indicted on these charges a month ago.
The alleged incidents occurred between 2021 and 2024 and involved a minor under the age of 10, according to NBC 4 News.
Bell pleaded not guilty to all charges, court records show.
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The pastor was then released on a $20,000 recognizance bond with strict conditions, according to court records. Bell is prohibited from having unsupervised contact with minors or the alleged victims.
Additionally, he is barred from accessing the internet and using electronic devices.
Bell resigned from his role at Anchor Baptist Church on June 27 this year, according to a statement on the church’s website.
At that time, Bell cited “cited personal reasons for his immediate resignation and did not go into details,” the church wrote. The church was unaware of the allegations against Bell.
Anchor Baptist Church did not learn of them until July 11. The church then released an updated statement stating that they were “amending” their previous remarks.
“We now know that there was more to the unexpected resignation of our former pastor, George Bell, than we were originally led to believe,” the church said. “It breaks our heart to discover that there have been serious allegations and an indictment that have been brought. Any conduct that is contrary to the Bible and our laws as citizens are unacceptable and not tolerated.”
The church noted that it is fully cooperating with law enforcement and is praying for the victims.
After the arraignment last week, the church released another statement, reemphasizing its commitment to “to full transparency and to the truth throughout this process.”
Law enforcement informed the church that there was no evidence that any of Bell’s alleged crimes occurred on church property or involved any church member.
“Recent events have verified this,” the church added.
“We invite you to join us in prayer for and support of victims, their families, and individuals involved,” the church continued. “We sincerely desire your prayers for us to have Godly wisdom and clear direction as we move forward.”
When former church member Adam Freed found out about the allegations against Bell, he told CBS News that it felt like betrayal.
“I know that I was misled for a long time, and my eyes are opened up to that now, and I feel guilty being part of that environment, culture,” said Freed, who was a part of the church for 27 years. “It feels like a betrayal.”
Bell founded Anchor Baptist Church in July 1989, according to a now-deleted autobiography for him on the church’s website.
Bell said the church started 10 people, six of whom were his own family. The church grew to hold three weekly services and has more than 1,000 followers on Facebook.
The church is an “independent, fundamental Baptist, soul-winning, Bible believing church that uses the KJV Bible as its only Scripture,” according to its website.
The church also operates Anchor Baptist Bible Institute and Anchor Baptist School.
Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.
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5 Responses
An IFB church? This is not surprising to me. This is where the wolves go in order to feast on the sheep.
Yes. This brand of Baptist church happened to be my home church from birth. Many perverts hide there.
This brand of Baptist was revealed to be dangerous and a harbor for perverts. Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches require more supervision. My childhood was spent in such churches. They are in a circle of churches founded with Jack Hyles, former pastor of First Baptist, Hammond, Indiana, who passed. His son-in-law, Jack Schap was sentenced for the same as well as multiple employees of Open Door Baptist in Mesquite, Texas. Please continue to investigate this brand of Baptist.
Please investigate the Open Door Baptist Church, Mesquite, TX. This is the same brand of Baptist, IFB. This church has hired multiple perverts, some who ended up in prison for the same felony. They are associated with the Jack Hyles circle of churches.
My guess is that he didn’t just start raping children at the ripe old age of 68 or 69. He has probably been a predator since his 20’s, if not his teens. Which means there are possibly victims going back 50ish years. I am glad he finally was exposed.