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<\/p>\nAnti-Gay Tennessee Pastor Arrested; Asked Children to Sit on Face in Underwear<\/b>
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Pastor Matthew Dennis Patterson of Nolensville Road Baptist Church in Tennessee, which \u201ccites the Bible as the only authority for faith and practice, belief in the sinful nature of man<\/a>, biblical family roles and local church autonomy,\u201d was arrested for molesting at least 8 children over a period of 20 years.<\/p>\n The Tennessean<\/em> reports<\/a>:<\/p>\n Children at the church told adult members that Patterson had asked them to sit on his face and stomach, sometimes in their underwear, according to a police statement.<\/p>\n Detectives John Thomas and Jacob Masteller from the department\u2019s Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Unit led the\u00a0six-month investigation into the complaints.<\/p>\n After interviewing multiple church and staff members, police said the detectives identified multiple\u00a0victims, most of them boys<\/a>, who were molested from 1998-2017. Police did not say how old the children were at the time of the alleged abuse.<\/p>\n Patterson has been indicted on eight counts of aggravated sexual battery. Each count is linked to a different child, according to police.<\/p>\n Police said more charges relating to additional victims \u201care anticipated\u201d as the investigation continues.<\/p>\n Patterson was a \u201cvocal opponent\u201d of Tennessee anti-discrimination bills designed to protect LGBT people from bias in housing and employment.<\/p>\n Bond has been set at $100,000.<\/p>\n The post Anti-Gay Tennessee Pastor Arrested; Asked Children to Sit on Face in Underwear<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n