A former Florida pastor and father of nine children is due in court after pleading not guilty to the charge of sexually assaulting a teenaged girl.
Christopher Whitehead, a 35-year-old pastor of Mount Olive Primitive Baptist Church in Gainesville, was arrested last year for allegedly assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
Whitehead is facing charges of sexual battery on a minor and lewd and lascivious battery. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in March, according to the Gainesville-based WCJB.
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Whitehead, identified as a “former pastor” by WCJB, had a case management hearing before an Alachua County judge on Monday.
Whitehead was installed as the pastor of Mount Olive in March 2022. In April of last year, the congregation held a celebration in honor of his two years at the church.
“We’re living in strange and wicked times,” Whitehead preached during the anniversary worship service, according to The Gainesville Sun. “God says He’s going to do great things for us no matter how hard life gets. Everything may not go right, but He promises that if you stay on His side, things will get better.”
According to authorities, a 15-year-old girl was among those present at a gathering held at Whitehead’s home that was related to the second anniversary of his appointment. At one point, she went to the master bedroom, where Whitehead was lying on the bed, to ask for some money.
After Whitehead declined to give her money, he allegedly asked her to lay in bed with him. After she eventually agreed to do so, he allegedly assaulted her, with the assault ending as soon as another child opened the door to the bedroom and she left.
Soon after, authorities were contacted. Whitehead was arrested last July.
Dominique Howard-Bernard, a church member on Mount Olive’s Youth Usher Board, told the Independent Florida Alligator that she was saddened by the incident and arrest.
“This is very heart[breaking] as a member of the church and has me feeling crazy because he [was] supposed to be the sheep of the church and lead people to the Lord,” she told the outlet. “He just needs to be in Hell at this point.”
Whitehead denied any wrongdoing from the onset, reported the Alligator, while his wife stood by him and told local media that she never knew him to engage in such behavior.
