Welcome to Arrest Stories. A sixty-eight-year-old former youth pastor has been arrested in Missouri on decades-old charges involving the alleged sexual abuse of children at an Oklahoma church. Here's what may have happened.
Joseph Lyle Campbell was taken into custody at his residence in Elkland, Missouri without incident. Campbell did not resist or attempt to flee when authorities surrounded his home. He was subsequently transported to the Greene County Jail to await transfer to Oklahoma.
The charges stem from alleged incidents that occurred in nineteen eighty-four when Campbell served as youth pastor at Eastland Assembly of God Church in Tulsa. According to the indictment, between March first and December first of that year, Campbell allegedly sexually abused a fourteen-year-old girl at the church. Separately, Campbell is accused of raping an eleven or twelve-year-old girl in the garage of his home during the same timeframe.
Campbell was described as a magnetic preacher who cultivated trust among children and their parents during his tenure. Victims reportedly described being molested in various locations including a church nursery, in Campbell's vehicle, and at his residence while his family slept upstairs. Investigators noted that Campbell gravitated toward girls from broken homes.
Following his time at Eastland Assembly of God, Campbell worked at First Assembly of God in Siloam Springs for approximately one year in the mid-nineteen eighties. More recently, Campbell served as a pastor at Morningside in Blue Eye, Missouri, where he was a nationally known pastor and televangelist.
Officials emphasized the severity of the allegations. One prosecutor stated, "The crimes alleged in the indictment are horrific. There can be no tolerance for child sex predators, particularly adults who exploit their positions of authority and the faith of their victims. My office will vigorously work to ensure justice is served for the women who have carried this trauma for decades."
Campbell is being held without bond on charges of lewd or indecent acts to a child under sixteen.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.