Former minister with ties to Oklahoma church withdraws request to have his records sealed
A former youth minister with ties to an Oklahoma church has withdrawn his request to seal his criminal case records regarding an alleged sexual assault case in another state.
Patrick Stephen Miller's request to the Pulaski County Court in Little Rock, Arkansas, came after the state of Arkansas and two families who attended Little Rock's Immanuel Baptist Church, where Miller worked from 2014 to 2016, filed motions objecting to the former minister's criminal history being excluded from public record. Miller, who previously worked at First Baptist Church of Moore from 2016 to 2018, asked that his request to have his records sealed be withdrawn a few days ahead of a hearing on the matter set for early February, according to court records.
According to Pulaski County court records, Miller was initially charged with second-degree sexual assault, a felony, in January 2019. In 2022, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment. According to court records, Miller was convicted of misdemeanor harassment and given a one-year suspended sentence. He received 19 days credit for time already served and he wasn't required to register as a sex offender.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, citing Little Rock police reports, said Miller routinely played hide and seek with young people at Immanuel Baptist while other adults weren't around. According to the Arkansas news outlet, a child accused him in 2016 of sexually abusing her in an Immanuel Baptist Sunday school classroom. Miller served as the church's assistant director of children's youth ministry from 2014 to 2016. According to court documents, the same child came forward in 2018 with "a full disclosure of Defendant Miller’s deviant, sexual abuse perpetrated on her."
More: Abuse claims about Arkansas minister who worked in Moore come to light
Immanuel Baptist's current lead pastor, the Rev. Steven Smith, declined to say whether he told First Baptist-Moore that Little Rock Police were investigating sexual abuse allegations made against Miller. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that Smith told his congregation about the accusations, investigation and Miller's conviction a few hours after the newspaper published a story about the case in December 2023. After this recent disclosure, another person came forward alleging that Miller also sexually abused her during his time on staff at the Arkansas church. The initial accuser and the second individual who recently came forward — called Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 in court documents — filed a motion opposing Miller's request to have his records sealed.
"As it currently stands, should the Court seal his record, there will be nothing on a criminal background check to warn the next church who may be seduced into hiring Defendant Miller of his deviant, sexual predilections with children," Joseph Gates with Gates Law Firm, said in the motion filed on behalf of Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2.
Moore church said they were not aware of the Arkansas investigation into former youth minister
The Southern Baptist Convention has been grappling with a sex abuse crisis and a special task force has been formed to help protect unsuspecting congregations from predatory pastors hopping from church to church.
In December 2023, current First Baptist-Moore leadership released a statement saying the church did not know about the Little Rock Police investigation into sex abuse allegations against Miller.
The Oklahoman recently attempted to reach the Rev. Kevin Clarkson, who served as First Baptist-Moore's senior pastor while Miller was on staff there from 2016 to 2018. While those attempts to reach the minister were unsuccessful, Clarkson, who is currently pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Yukon, recently gave a written statement about the matter to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
"I can attest that as senior pastor at [First Moore Baptist Church], I was never contacted by Immanuel Baptist Church of Little Rock in Arkansas in 2016 or 2018 regarding any allegations of child sexual abuse or predatory behavior against Patrick Miller," Clarkson said in his statement. "Had I been, appropriate actions would have been taken."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Former Oklahoma minister withdraws request to seal criminal records
