Popular Christian apologetics organization Answers in Genesis has confirmed that Michael Howard, a member of TrueSong — the resident musical act of the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum in Northern Kentucky — is no longer connected to the band after he was charged with 80 counts of sexual abuse and sodomy of a teenager who was also a member of a church where he served as worship leader.
“While the ministry does not generally comment on personnel matters, we can confirm that Michael Howard is no longer affiliated with Answers in Genesis. In fact, his departure occurred before we became aware of the investigation against him,” Mark Looy, Answers in Genesis’ chief commercial officer, told The Christian Post in a statement Thursday.
“To respect the privacy of those involved and because this is a matter currently under investigation, we are not in a position to comment further, other than to ask for prayers for all the individuals involved, especially the possible victims.”
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A statement published this month by the Boone County Sheriff’s Office in Burlington, Kentucky, said investigators received a report on Dec. 27, 2024, from a now-adult male that Howard, 36, began sexually abusing and sodomizing him when he was just 15 in 2019.
“The victim identified the suspect as 36-year-old Michael Howard of Burlington and reported that he started working for him in the fall of 2019. The following spring, Howard began sending messages of a sexual nature to the then-15-year-old victim. That same year, the sexual abuse and sodomy began and continued on multiple occasions over the next four years,” the release said.
“In addition to the victim working for Howard, detectives learned that they were members of the same church. Detectives corroborated the victim’s statement after conducting additional interviews and learned that Howard made admissions regarding his ‘3-4 year’ relationship,” investigators said.
Howard was arrested on Jan. 2 and charged with 40 counts of first-degree sexual abuse and 40 counts of third-degree sodomy. He was placed in the Boone County Jail on a $250,000 bond.
At the time of his arrest, Howard was a member of Florence Baptist Temple in Kentucky, where he joined in 2009.
A cached page from the church’s website states that he began serving as their worship leader in 2022. It also states that he is married and a father of two daughters.
An arrest warrant for Howard cited by The Lexington Herald-Leader said it was the victim’s family who reported the abuse to law enforcement and the church.
The church did not respond to a request for comment from CP on Thursday.
Howard was reportedly a friend of the victim’s family for many years, and the victim saw him as a role model prior to the abuse. Court documents state Howard began sending the victim explicit messages over Snapchat and is accused of abusing him at least four times each week.
The former TrueSong member allegedly told the victim repeatedly that he “could not talk about it” and the abuse “can never be known.” When the victim turned 18, Howard allegedly asked him to say the relationship started at that time.
Howard was one of the four original members of TrueSong, which was formed in 2022, according to a cached page on the group’s website on which he is no longer featured. The group’s debut album, “Tell Someone,” was nominated for a GMA Dove Award in 2024.
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