An Oklahoma man resigned as pastor of St. Andrew Christian Church in Tulsa after being accused of horrific child sex abuse and incest crimes by his daughter in a social media post.
Bertheophilus Maurice “Judge” Bailey Sr. is accused of allegedly beginning the years-long abuse when the victim was in the sixth grade, according to an affidavit. He was arrested on Wednesday afternoon.
‘I would call him my best friend only to hide the reality of what I was living.’
“As a victim of sexual and mental abuse at the hands of Pastor Bailey for over a decade, I feel compelled to warn others about his predatory behavior,” she wrote on Facebook. “Despite his status as a respected member of the community, it is essential to shed light on his actions to prevent further harm to unsuspecting individuals.”
The abuse allegedly began when the pastor would pray on the girl’s body and use the occasion to touch her. The abuse worsened as the girl grew older, according to prosecutors.
“He would pray over me at first, but he would do a lot of touching while he was praying,” Harmony Oates told KJRH-TV.
The affidavit included damning text messages allegedly between the two.
“I am an adulterer. I am a child molester. I am a rapist,” he reportedly wrote in one text.
Police said in another text that Bailey admitted to watching pornography involving incest and justified his acting out what he saw in the pornography. They have also reportedly obtained recordings and other witness statements to corroborate her accusations.
“The thing is whenever I was a kid I separated my dad from who he was. I had to that’s the only way I survived,” Oates continued. “I would call him my best friend only to hide the reality of what I was living.”
She said that she first told her husband and then her brother before having the difficult conversation with her mother.
“Coming out of the darkness by speaking out makes you a survivor,” she added.
Bailey is being held on a $500,000 bond. He is charged with incest, child sex abuse, forcible sodomy, first-degree burglary, and two counts of first-degree rape.
Oates said she is rediscovering God after the alleged abuse.
“I’m learning more and I know he has me and he has every other victim. And I know that he has been guiding me through this whole journey and I know he will come for me like a father even though my dad did not,” Oates said.
As of Friday, Bailey is still identified at the church’s website as the pastor, though he has reportedly resigned.
A news report about the horrific allegations can be viewed on KOKI-TV’s channel on YouTube.
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