A church in Kentucky made headlines when its former pastor Billy Minix embezzled $300,000 from church funds in 2011. New Gospel Outreach Church is now involved with another scandal; this time, the pastor of three years has gone to jail for rape and sodomy charges.
Roy Yoakem is accused of raping a male minor, but had previously been registered as a sex offender in the state of Kentucky. When Yoakem was hired, the church was aware of his past.
“When he first became pastor, about two and a half, three years ago, he informed the church of that right off. He explained that those allegations were false,” said interim pastor Stephen Bratcher. “He said he was at peace with God. Everybody has a past.”
Bratcher expressed hope that the public does not condemn that church for its second scandal in a short time period.
“He’s a predator and he doesn’t need to be on the street. I’m glad we got him,” said Detective Chad Keen of the Allen Company Sheriff’s Department.
Publication date: June 26, 2014
