Fugitive Pastor Caught in Texas, Accused of Sexual Battery
Monte Chitty fled prosecution in Florida for allegedly assaulting a minor
Just days after fleeing prosecution in Florida for charges of sexual battery, a fugitive pastor accused of assaulting a teenage girl has been caught in Texas.
Monte Chitty, 62, was tracked down in Woodsville, Texas, where his adult son lives, and was arrested by members of the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force and the Woodsville Police Department, The Miami Herald reported.
Chitty, pastor of First Baptist Church in Marathon, Florida, faces charges of sexual battery, lewd and lascivious molestation and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
He is accused of serving the 15-year old alcohol in his home until she passed out. When she woke up, Chitty was allegedly assaulting her. Detectives said he sent her lewd text messages afterward, according to WPLG Local 10 News.
Chitty is currently being held on a $1.3 million bond.
The case was reported to deputies first by an anonymous caller. Chitty denied the rape charges, saying he was just helping her lay down to sleep, The Miami Herald reports. Chitty was arrested March 4 but released on $75,000 bond three weeks later.
Chitty failed to show up to a scheduled arraignment on Monday, April 1. Prosecutors said he skipped town prior in a white van with out-of-state plates.
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Before moving to Florida, Chitty was an Alaskan village public safety officer and pastor, spending more than 10 years in Cold Bay, False Pass and Akutan. According to the Anchorage Daily News, during his stint as a pastor in Alaska, Chitty sent private social media messages to a young girl that later became public. They were so disturbing, Anchorage Daily News reported, that community members pitched in and got her a one-way plane ticket out of town.
“We got her out because she was scared for her safety,” said Stephanie DeVault to the Anchorage Daily News. DeVault lived in the same Alaskan town as Chitty while he pastored there. Most of the people who attended church in the small town were part of the same congregation.
Chitty spread rumors that the girl was troubled and many believed him, DeVault said.
“He used the two safest, most trusted roles in a community,” DeVault said to the Anchorage Daily News. Chitty moved to Florida in 2021.
Currently, Chitty is being held in Texas on a $1.3 million bond while he awaits extradition to the Keys, the sheriff’s office said.
Main photo: Monte Chitty, speaking at First Baptist Church in Marathon, Florida, on Dec. 18, 2022 / Video screenshot
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