Raymond L. Lambert II, the pastor of Grand Valley Baptist Church North in McDonald County, Mo., currently faces a new sexual abuse case 16 years after being charged with raping a minor-age girl.
Details of the Rape Case
In a report by Yahoo News, 67-year-old Lambert allegedly raped a 10-year-old girl last summer, 2013. Members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol reportedly arrested and charged the pastor with first-degree rape in connection to the victim's allegation.
The now-adult rape survivor said in her probable-cause affidavit that Lambert sexually assaulted her on at least nine occasions during her visit to a McDonald County relative. The pastor allegedly raped her in a dark shed.
Her affidavit added that Lambert temporarily panicked when he heard the sound of car tires outside the shed. The pastor stopped the assault and allegedly asked her not to tell about the incident to anyone.
The victim told investigators that she did as asked, and her mother confirmed her visit to the relative during the time frame she said in her affidavit.
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Family of Sex Offenders
But it seemed that the urge to assault young girls sexually did not lie on Lambert alone. Some of his family members allegedly had a hand in abusing several members of their congregations.
According to the news article, Lambert's wife, uncle, and two brothers also faced sexual abuse cases in 2006. His uncle George Johnston, pastor of the Grand Valley Baptist Church North in Newton County, also faced sexual assault raps.
Additionally, two brothers who were former deacons at Grand Valley Independent Church in McDonald County were charged with sexual abuse.
The news outlet disclosed that the defendants were involved in the sexual abuse of several former female church members where the former had leadership roles. The 'family of sex offenders' allegedly abused the women starting in the '70s.
Consequently, the abuse incidents forced practically all the victims to leave the churches.
Yahoo News said no conviction was handed despite the multiple allegations brought to court against Lambert's family members. The news outlet mentioned the victims' eventual refusal to testify against the accused in court as the reason why the charges were dropped.
A separate report by Religion News Blog revealed that Lambert's 2006 indictment included one count of first-degree child molestation and three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy. He was also charged with four counts of second-degree child molestation for the incidents that allegedly occurred between Feb. 15, 1995, and April 4, 2004.
Meanwhile, Lambert's wife, Patty, faced one count of first-degree child endangerment and one count of second-degree child molestation.
The two brothers, Tom and Paul Epling, also received their share of indictments. Tom Epling was slapped with five counts of first-degree statutory sodomy, while Paul Epling faced five counts of first-degree statutory sodomy and two counts of first-degree statutory rape.
The article said McDonald County prosecutor Steve Geeding and assistant prosecutor Daniel Bagley filed the sexual abuse charges in 2006 against Lambert and the other defendants.
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