A North Carolina pastor who was previously convicted of molesting three minors and was later re-hired as an associate pastor is now facing 14 new charges for allegedly abusing children from 2001-2011 when he served at his previous church.
During a press conference this month, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) said the recent investigation started after three men told authorities that Robert “Bobby” Price had molested them when they were between the ages of 9 and 15. According to a statement by CMPD, Price faces 13 counts of indecent liberties with a minor and one count of statutory sexual offenses involving young males.
As reported by The Roys Report, Price’s brother, Camino Senior Pastor Rusty Price, has faced backlash since the news of the abuse allegations broke. On the day of Price’s arrest, a Camino Church spokesperson said during a press conference that it was a “sad, sad day” for the church and argued that “these alleged events occurred almost a decade before Robert joined Camino.”
A statement from the church notes that Price was hired in 2018 and primarily worked with adults. Meanwhile, Rusty Price said the church knew of his brother’s past conviction.
“It’s not the first announcement we make when people come to the church, but we don’t hide it,” he said. “So over time, you know, people have asked questions, and we’re always very transparent with what happened in the past.”
Rusty Price also asserted that his brother “was not around minors” during his employment at Camino Church and that no complaints were ever made.
Bobby and Rusty Price’s father, the late Reverend Bradley Price, had also faced allegations of sexual abuse in the past. Northside Baptist (now Northside Charlotte) had split amid rumors of financial and sexual impropriety surrounding the elder Price, who led the church from 1990-1998.
He had resigned amid the scandals but later founded King’s Way Church, where Bobby served as a youth pastor. Bradley’s other son, Randy, was the worship leader, and Rusty eventually succeeded his father as senior pastor. In 2013, King’s Way Church and Camino Church merged.
In 2014, Bobby Price was convicted of indecent liberties with three boys while serving at King’s Way Church from 2000-2006.
At the time, Price signed an Alford Plea, which allows defendants to plead guilty to charges without admitting guilt. Under the deal, Price was sentenced to 16 months in prison and required to register as a sex offender for 30 years. He completed his sentence in December 2015.
In 2018, Camino Church received backlash after Bobby Price preached a Sunday sermon. At the time, Rusty said his brother was a church member rather than someone on staff. Later that year, Bobby was hired as the church’s associate pastor.
Photo courtesy: ©Scott Rodgerson/Unsplash
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
Comments are closed.