A former Southern Baptist pastor who supported legislation in Texas this year that would have criminalized abortions has been arrested on charges of child sex abuse.
Court records show that Stephen Bratton posted a $50,000 bond Saturday. There are reports that 43-year-old Bratton is accused of molesting a teenage relative, sometimes multiple times a day.
It isn't clear whether Bratton has an attorney. The Associated Press couldn't locate a phone number for him Sunday.
Bratton was a pastor at Grace Family Baptist Church near Houston. He was outspoken in support of a bill that would have abolished abortions in Texas and threatened charging women who undergo the procedure with homicide.
Aaron Wright, another pastor at the church, says Bratton has been excommunicated.
The Associated Press and FOX 29 contributed to this report.
GuacamoleFanatic on June 17th, 2019 at 00:53 UTC »
Highlights from the article.
Stephen Bratton, a former pastor at the Grace Family Baptist Church in Cypress Station, was charged with child sexual abuse on Friday
The father-of-seven is alleged to have molested a teenage relative over the span of several years, often multiple times in the same day
Bratton reportedly confessed his crimes to his co-pastors, who promptly alerted police
He has since been excommunicated from the church and is no longer receiving a salary
Bratton was an outspoken supporter of a bill proposed earlier this year which sought to criminalize abortion
OneSalientOversight on June 17th, 2019 at 00:29 UTC »
Church response:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QuLlq1Xd-4APtwfSYWo4rozybrek-6P_/view
Date: June 15, 2019
Subject: Public statement regarding Stephen Bratton’s crime
We are aware of the situation regarding Stephen Bratton and the charges that have been filed against him and of his arrest on June 14th.
Stephen Bratton confessed to Erin Frye and Aaron Wright, both pastors at the church, of sexually abusing a minor in an ongoing way for a number of years on May 16th. This is the first time this had been brought to the attention of the pastors. This activity is wrong according to Biblical and civil law and the church condemns the behavior as abhorrent.
The elders immediately filed a police report with Harris County Sheriff’s Office the same day, May 16th. As the weeks followed the pastors continued to make contact with the detective because they desired the case to be brought forward so that justice would be served. Once the case began we continued to cooperate fully throughout the investigation.
The elders have called upon Stephen Bratton to accept the full responsibility for his actions and to place himself at the mercy of the criminal justice system. Stephen is no longer in a position of leadership at the church and is no longer receiving a salary.
Stephen Bratton was also excommunicated by the church the following Sunday, May 19th. Therefore he is no longer a member of the church.
Currently we are working to meet the needs of the family and the victim.
We have deep grief for the victim and have sought to respect the privacy and identity of the victim throughout this process.
autotelica on June 16th, 2019 at 21:15 UTC »
We all knew this was coming, didn't we?