10 Oklahoma men listed in database of Baptist sex abusers
Ten men with connections to Oklahoma Southern Baptist churches or their affiliates, are included in a database of Southern Baptist church pastors, leaders, employees and volunteers who pleaded guilty or were convicted of sex crimes set up by The Houston Chronicle.
• Benjamin Lawrence Petty, who, as a volunteer cook with Country Estates Baptist Church in Midwest City, was convicted in 2018 in Marshall County District Court of first-degree rape, forcible sodomy and rape by instrumentation of a 13-year-old camper at Falls Creek Baptist Camp and Conference Center near Davis. Under a controversial negotiated plea agreement, Petty was sentenced to 15 years probation — but no prison time. Petty is currently a registered sex offender. In a civil suit, it was alleged that some churches did not get background checks for adults they brought to the camp even though the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma had a policy requiring churches to perform background checks on sponsors before attending.
• Douglas Dwayne Davis, who resigned from his post as youth minister at Village Baptist Church after his arrest at the house of worship. In 2010, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for having sex with a 15-year-old girl visiting the church from Vinita where he had been a minister before.
• Joshua L. Spires, a former Delaware County pastor who served 10 years in prison for molesting a 15-year-old girl who attended his church, First Baptist Church of Jay. According to an affidavit, Spires, of Odessa, Texas, began to tell the victim he loved her when she was in the seventh grade and he was her youth pastor. Their sexual encounters began in 2007 and lasted until Nov. 15, 2009 when the victim broke it off to date a high school senior. Released from prison in February 2018, Spires is currently a registered sex offender in Texas, under probation-community supervision until 2029.
• Billy Ray Smith, a volunteer youth worker at Calvary Baptist Church in Durant, convicted of forcible sodomy in 2010, now serving a 15-year prison sentence.
• Brian Kelly Burchfield, a former youth pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Shawnee convicted of soliciting a minor by using technology after he sent inappropriate text messages to young boys at the church where he had been employed. He was sentenced to six months in jail and 10 years probation.
• Jody Hilliard, a longtime assistant pastor of First Baptist Church of Duncan, convicted of five charges of lewd and indecent proposals and acts to a child under 12 in June 2018, sentenced to seven years and 18 years probation. He died in prison in September 2018.
• Dustin Ray Werneburg, youth pastor at First Baptist Church of Coalgate, convicted of rape and two counts of lewd and indecent acts or propositions to a child in 2012, serving a 10-year prison sentence.
• Sean David Whisenhunt, a former youth minister and currently a registered sex offender in Oklahoma, received a suspended sentence after being convicted of sexual battery in 2010. He was convicted of violating the terms of his sex offender registry in 2014 but received another suspended sentence. Although his sex offense did not take place on church property, he had been associated with an Owasso church youth ministry.
• Aaron Matthew McDonald, convicted of sexual battery and sentenced to 10 years in 2003 for an incident at Dewar's First Baptist Church, where he served as music director. He was released after two years in prison and currently is a registered sex offender in Oklahoma.
• Charles W. “Chuck” Bryan Jr., youth ministry volunteer at Chisholm Creek Baptist Church in Edmond area, received a 10-year prison sentence in 2009 for three counts of lewd and indecent propositions and acts involving a 15-year-old girl. He also was convicted of forgery, currently a registered sex offender.
Staff and wire reports