SALISBURY, N.C. — A bishop in Rowan County has been charged with child sex crimes following a three-month investigation.
According to police, the charges stem from an incident that occurred in 1991, in which King is accused of forcing himself on a minor in several locations, including his church, the Damascus Emmanuel Pentecostal Church.
On Tuesday, King was taken into custody and charged with one count of indecent liberties with a minor, one count of second-degree rape, and one count of rape by a custodian.
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Channel 9’s Ken Lemon spoke with Tiffany Summers, who has known the Salisbury preacher for a long time, even before he stepped into the role of minister.
“I’m just sad to hear this,” said Summers. “Regular man and everything. You wouldn’t think he’d do something like this behind closed doors.”
King has since been booked into the Rowan County Detention Center and is currently being held on no bond. He is expected to appear in court for the first time on Thursday.
“The hard work of our investigators in bringing this case forward deserves recognition. At the same time, it is profoundly concerning when a person in a position of trust is accused of violating that trust,” said Salisbury Police Chief P.J. Smith.
Investigators believe King used his position of authority to take advantage of the girl. However, they have not provided details about why this case came to light 34 years later or the factors that led to the charge after decades.
The Salisbury Police Department is encouraging anyone who may have been victimized by King to come forward. The department can be reached at 704-638-5333, at 704-638-5211, or by email at investigations@salisburync.gov.
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