Little Rock police have arrested another person associated with Immanuel Baptist Church, the center of ongoing questions about whether the church and its former pastor appropriately handled sexual abuse allegations.
Immanuel Baptist Church / Photo via Google Maps
In December, lead Pastor Steven Smith apologized to his congregation for failing to inform them of allegations against former assistant children’s ministry director Patrick Stephen Miller. In March, Smith resigned after attendance began dropping significantly.
On April 17, police arrested another adult associated with the church. Authorities charged Immanuel Baptist Church volunteer Reagan Gray, 26, with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old student attending the church’s youth group.
According to the affidavit, at the time of the alleged abuse—between 2020 and 2021—Gray was teaching at Little Rock Christian Academy and volunteering for Immanuel Baptist in their music and student ministries. The alleged victim was also a member of the student ministry at the church, which was how he and Gray met.
Reagan Gray / Screengrab via KTHV
The affidavit says the alleged victim’s parents first learned of Gray’s inappropriate relationship with their son in 2020 when they discovered a text thread between the minor and Gray on the boy’s phone.
The parents said they reported Gray to Smith after telling Gray to stop communicating with their son. Smith allegedly questioned Gray, who, according to Smith, said her relationship with the teen was not “physical.”
Gray was then reportedly removed as a volunteer from Immanuel Baptist’s student ministry, underwent counseling, and was then allowed to resume volunteer work with the student ministry. Nobody reportedly called the police.
The arrest affidavit says that when Smith was interviewed in 2024, he said Gray disclosed during a counseling session in the fall of 2023 that her relationship with the teen had indeed been sexual and that after the confrontation with the teen’s parents, she had continued to communicate with the boy via Snapchat.
The teenager told FBI agents during an interview that he received daily nude pictures from Gray, who expected him to reciprocate. He also said sexual interactions took place in her vehicle and her apartment, but they did not have intercourse so he could “stay pure.”
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The teen said he and Gray—who was 23 years old at the time—had sexual contact between five and ten times until May 2021.
According to the affidavit, Gray was employed at Sylvan Hills Middle School at the time police began investigating the abuse. The school district placed Gray on leave in February after discovering the investigation.
Gray is facing a single felony charge of sexual assault. She turned herself in to the police on Wednesday and is currently free on a $20,000 bond.
On April 17, Gray pleaded not guilty to first-degree sexual assault. The review hearing is scheduled for June 17, 2024.
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