The 60-year-old Summit man admitted to fathering the
girl's 8-month-old child, a deputy says.
MUSKOGEE -- A
part-time minister for two United Methodist churches was
charged Thursday on accusations that he raped a teenage girl
while the two were on their way to church functions.
Woodroe Wilson admitted to fathering the girl's 8-month-old
child, authorities said.
The 60-year-old Summit man was arraigned Thursday on one
count of first-degree rape even though investigators believe
he had sex with the girl more than once. He is in the Muskogee
County Jail awaiting $100,000 bail.
"There are venue issues," prosecutor Jeff Sheridan said.
"There could be charges in other counties."
Wilson served as lay missioner for two area churches --
Yeager Mission United Methodist Church in Hughes County and
Thewarley United Methodist Church in Seminole County. Although
a lay missioner is not an ordained minister, Wilson would
preach on alternate Sundays at the churches.
"We have some of our smaller churches that don't have
licensed, ordained persons to pastor, so we use lay persons to
serve," said David Wilson, superintendent for the Oklahoma
Indian Missionary Conference of the United Methodist Church.
The two Wilsons are not related.
"They do the preaching but cannot do the sacraments," David
Wilson said. "We do trainings for lay missioners about twice a
year."
The Muskogee County Sheriff's Office became aware of the
alleged sexual relationship after the girl and her mother
visited deputies on Monday. Deputy Tim Brown called Wilson in
the next day and arrested him later that morning.
"The only thing he did was admit this had happened and,
yes, this was his child," Brown said. "Getting details was a
little difficult."
Nonetheless, investigators contend that Wilson raped the
girl a number of times since she was at least 14 years old.
She is now 17.
"The way he tells it is it was consensual," Brown said. "A
13- to 14-year-old girl can't consent."
Wilson, who is married, knew the girl because she and his
stepdaughter were friends, the deputy said. The two families
would attend church functions together, with Wilson and the
girl reportedly traveling in a different vehicle from the
others.
The alleged sexual encounters occurred "en route to and
from church outings," Brown said. "None of this occurred in
the homes or in the church."
The victim's family apparently decided to wait on talking
to authorities after DNA testing revealed that Wilson fathered
the girl's child.
United Methodist Church officials have asked Wilson to step
down from his role in the churches, according to reports.
Rod Walton, World staff writer, can be reached at
581-8457 or via e-mail at rod.walton@tulsaworld.com
.
