Documentary record Bound by Fear
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Conviction Christian institutions & contexts Evangelical, Pentecostal, and independent Bentonville, Arkansas, USA · 2023

United States: Bentonville youth pastor sentenced to 60 years on thirteen counts

Record class

Core record

Evidence status

Convicted

Authority role

youth pastor at First Baptist Church of Bentonville

Organization

First Baptist Church of Bentonville, Southern Baptist Convention

Spiritual nexus

The charging documents state the criterion themselves: a position of trust and authority over the church's minors.

  • Pastoral or clerical authority

Evidence structure

Proceedings

  1. 2023-01-01 · guilty plea and sentence

    Benton County Circuit Court, Arkansas, USA. Keenan Hord, youth pastor at First Baptist Church of Bentonville from 2018 to 2022, pleaded guilty to thirteen counts of sexual assault against six identified minor victims; the charging documents state he engaged in sexual activity with minors while in a position of trust or authority over them. He was sentenced to 60 years, parole-eligible after 15.

Documented coercion mechanisms

  • position of trust and authority over church minors, stated explicitly in the charging documents

Primary record

Sources

institutional reporting against interest verdict and sentencing report 'Former youth pastor sentenced to 60 years for sex-related crimes', Baptist Press (2023).

The denomination's news service reporting the plea, counts, victims and sentence.

Related record

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