Former Tennessee Pastor Charged With Sexual Exploitation of a Minor
Police found more than 100 images of child pornography on perpetrator’s laptop.
The former pastor of a church in Cleveland, Tennessee, has been indicted by a Bradley County grand jury after local detectives found more than 100 images of child pornography on his laptop. The grand jury charged him with sexual exploitation of a minor.
Richard Lee Sentell / Bradley County Jail
Rick Sentell was, at one time, the pastor of Cornerstone Church of God in Cleveland. He was arrested on Christmas Day and booked the next day. Sentell was released on a $75,000 bond December 28.
According to News 12 in Cleveland, when they reached out to Cornerstone Church of God, they discovered there is now a different church in that location. The current pastor said Sentell sold him the building three years ago. When News 12 first reported the story, the Cornerstone Church of God website was still active, still listed Sentell as its lead pastor, and still held sermons and videos. It has since been taken down.
The grand jury indictment states that between April 1 and September 7 of 2023, Sentell, “did knowingly possess material that included a minor engaged in sexual activity or simulated activity that is patently offensive.”
Access to MinistryWatch content is free. However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts. To make a donation, click here.
Cleveland police were alerted of Sentell’s alleged crimes by a cyber-tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Police obtained a search warrant for Sentell’s home and personal laptop where “they found a large amount of images depicting the sexual abuse of children.”
The NCMEC says their cyber-tips, like the one that led to this arrest, are crucial in putting a stop to child predators. They say they received 32 million reports of child exploitation in 2022 alone. If you need any of the resources from the NCMEC or if you need to report an incident, you can click here.
Sentell is scheduled to appear in court on January 8th.
