Former volunteer at high-profile Southern Baptist church in Arkansas arrested on abuse charges
The lead pastor who failed to report the alleged incident resigned April 7.
Reagan Gray, a former volunteer and teacher at one of Arkansas’ largest Southern Baptist churches, surrendered to police on April 17 after being accused of sexually assaulting a teenager. She was charged with first-degree sexual assault and pleaded innocent, with a bond set at $20,000, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.
Mark Carter, interim executive pastor of the Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Ark., expressed grief over the situation and mentioned that information about Gray’s arrest had been reported to the church’s Caring Well Team, which is responsible for assessing the situation and determining the appropriate action steps.
According to court documents, Gray is accused of sexually assaulting the teenager multiple times between September 2020 and May 2021, with the victim being 15 or 16 years old at the time. The alleged sexual activity involved oral sex and the exchange of explicit photographs, and took place in Gray's car or apartment.
Steven Smith, lead pastor of Immanuel at the time of the alleged incidents, resigned in February after it was revealed that he failed to report the incident to the church and families of students involved.
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