By Michael Wacht

TAMPA — Lawrence Kilbourn, a former Florida Conference United Methodist elder, was sentenced last month on both federal child pornography and state sexual battery charges.

Kilbourn is the founding pastor of Faith United Methodist Church in Bradenton and most recently served at Tampa’s Forest Hills United Methodist Church. He was arrested by federal authorities Oct. 21, 1999 on one count of receiving child pornography via his computer, after voluntarily turning himself in to police. Kilbourn surrendered his credentials as an ordained elder Oct. 15, 1999.

A United States District judge here sentenced Kilbourn Sept. 9 to 87 months in federal prison. The sentence is the least he could receive under federal guidelines, according to an article in the Bradenton Herald. Kilbourn pleaded guilty in February to the federal charge of receiving child pornography by computer.

He was sentenced Sept. 28 to 10 years in state prison and five years of probation after entering a no-contest plea to attempted sexual battery. The charge was based on accusations that he fondled a girl in Bradenton in 1994.

Kilbourn will serve the two sentences consecutively and be transferred to state prison after he completes the federal sentence. He will serve the probation after his release from prison.

The Rev. Doug Pareti, current pastor at Bradenton’s Faith United Methodist Church, said the church family is ready to put the situation behind it and focus on the church’s ministries.

"We continue to be in prayer for all involved and look forward to both a time of healing and closure to events that have occurred during the past year," he said.

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© 2000 Florida United Methodist Review Online