A senior pastor messaged and asked someone he thought was a minor to “engage in sex acts with him.” Barely two weeks after the arrest, the pastor was discovered dead from an apparent suicide.
Police found the body of the former head pastor of First Christian Church in a storage unit earlier this week.
David James Brown was arrested on June 15 for soliciting a minor to “engage in sex acts with him,” according to multiple reports. Yet when the pastor arrived, he discovered the child was actually an undercover police officer.
“This is a sad day for our church. On June 15, we learned of criminal allegations against our senior pastor, David Brown, that cut to the heart of the trust placed in the church. We take these allegations seriously. Once we became aware of the situation, Mr. Brown was placed on temporary administrative leave and relieved of all his ministerial duties pending further investigations. We pray for everyone involved, and we ask the community to pray for our church as we work through this difficult time,” the church said in a statement.
Brown had been released on bond and was with family in Georgia. Police are treating the death investigation as a suicide.
“I think the family would like to just mourn in peace,” his attorney said.
