A rising contemporary Christian music artist and Dove Award nominee faces 80 charges of sexual abuse and sodomy of a minor.
Michael Howard (center) with former bandmate Dusty Barrett (left) at the 2024 Dove Awards in Oct. 2024 / Video screenshot
Michael Howard, former singer and piano player for TrueSong—billed the “resident artist band” of Answers in Genesis’ Creation Museum and Ark Encounter—was arrested Jan. 2, less than a week after the alleged victim came forward with the allegations, according to a statement from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office in Burlington, Kentucky.
“The victim identified the suspect as 36-year-old Michael Howard of Burlington and reported that he had started working for him in the fall of 2019,” the statement said. “The following spring, Howard began sending messages of a sexual nature to the then 15-year-old boy. That same year, the sexual abuse and sodomy began and continued on multiple occasions over the next four (4) years.”
The sheriff’s office also noted that Howard and the boy attended the same church. A recently scrubbed profile of Howard on the website of Florence Baptist Temple indicated he was a member since 2009 and the worship leader since 2022.
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Answers in Genesis, the ministry of Christian apologist Ken Ham, told media that Howard had parted ways with TrueSong prior to his arrest, but did not specify when or why.
“In fact, his departure from TrueSong occurred before we became aware of the investigation against him as it relates to the young man who attended the church where Howard was the worship leader,” Answers in Genesis COO Mark Looy told the Lexington Herald-Leader.
In another deleted profile, the Ark Encounter website described Howard as a Hebron, Kentucky, native with a wife and two children. The same page invites visitors of the life-size Noah’s ark replica to enjoy the “TrueSong experience.”
“TrueSong is one of Christian music’s most exciting groups, and since forming in 2022, they have served as the resident artist band at the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum!” the website says. “With genuine hearts for God, TrueSong makes uplifting music that proclaims truth to people of all ages. With cutting-edge technology in our state-of-the-art venues, this is a worship experience you won’t forget!”
In April 2023, TrueSong was signed by New Day Records under the umbrella of Daywind Music Group. Their debut album, Tell Someone, was nominated for the 2024 Inspirational Album of the Year by the GMA Dove Awards, which Howard and fellow band members attended in October.
According to the sheriff’s statement, detectives corroborated the accusations against Howard through interviews, including the suspect’s own “admissions regarding his ‘3-4 year’ relationship.” Court documents obtained by the Lexington Herald-Leader say Howard was a long-time family friend and that he groomed the boy by sending explicit messages via the photo-sharing app Snapchat. The documents also allege that after the boy turned 18, Howard told him that if their sexual relationship was discovered, he should tell people it began while he was a legal adult.
Howard was charged with 40 counts of first degree sexual abuse and 40 counts of third degree sodomy and held at the Boone County Jail on $250,000 bond.
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