Former pastor found guilty of sex with underage daughters

Former pastor found guilty of sex with underage daughters

Posted: Friday, January 19, 2001

OCALA, Fla. (AP) -- A 62-year-old former pastor faces up to 23 years in prison after he was convicted of having sex with his two adopted daughters when they were children.

A Circuit Court jury convicted the former Ocala minister Tuesday on nine sex-related charges. His name is being withheld to protect his daughters' identities. He fathered one's 7-year-old son.

Both daughters testified at the trial. The younger one, now 18, told the jury her father first forced her to have sex when she was 11, and that one of the incidents took place in the study where he wrote his sermons. The older daughter, now 23, told the panel the man is her son's father.

He faces a maximum of 165 years in prison when he is sentenced, although he is only expected to get between 16 and 23 years because of state guidelines, prosecutor Lori Lockshin said.

During the trial, jurors heard a telephone conversation taped by Ocala police in which one of the daughters asked, ''Daddy, do you think God will forgive us for having sex?''

The former pastor then told the girl, ''Bring your Bible over on Saturday and we will talk about it.''

''That really was the evidence that did us in,'' defense Charles Holloman said. ''The jury just rocked back in their chairs when they heard that.''