Guardians of the Gates: Gateway Ministries and the church that wasn't

The head of a politically influential Tulsa-based group used the organization’s status as a church to obtain property tax exemptions for his family’s house to avoid thousands of dollars in property taxes, though the organization has not had a congregation or held religious services for more than five years, an investigation by The Frontier has found.

Although state and federal records show Gateway Ministries, Inc., is classified as a church, the organization has entered into a compact with a conservative Oklahoma political action committee to endorse and donate to political candidates in the 2020 elections, according to the head of the political action committee.

Federal law prohibits churches and charities from engaging in electioneering and political campaigns, and doing so can jeopardize their tax-exempt status with the IRS, though enforcement of the prohibition on electioneering is often lax, experts say.

Guardians of the Gates: Gateway Ministries and the church that wasn't

Oklahoma youth pastor, former teacher accused of rape, lewd molestation | KFOR.com

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation says a youth pastor, who is also a former teacher, is facing charges of rape and lewd molestation.

Officials say an investigation started after the OSBI was requested to investigate allegations that 34-year-old Justin White had inappropriate relationships with young females while he was a teacher at Smithville Public Schools in McCurtain County and as a youth pastor at Spiro Baptist Church in LeFlore County.

White was the baseball coach at Smithville Public School. During the 2013-2014 school year, “he allegedly had sexual intercourse with a female student several times at his residence located on school property,” according to the OSBI.

Oklahoma youth pastor, former teacher accused of rape, lewd molestation | KFOR.com

Teacher arrested for allegedly having inappropriate conversations with student | KOKH

A former teacher was arrested for allegedly having inappropriate and sexual conversations with a male student.

On May 9, officers responded to 600 Garth Brooks Blvd. to a private Catholic school in reference to an inappropriate relationship between a teacher and a student.

Samantha Ann Brasses, 30, was arrested for on suspicion of unlawfully communicating with a minor by use of technology.

Teacher arrested for allegedly having inappropriate conversations with student | KOKH

Police: Sapulpa woman said she needed to escape zombies, tried to steal truck | FOX23

A woman said she was trying to escape zombies when she attempted to steal a commercial truck, according to Sapulpa police.

Police said the driver of a truck carrying water bottles and jugs called police when a woman hopped into his truck while it was unattended and locked the doors. The keys were in the truck parked at Walmart.

Suspect Tamanda Billings told the employee that she needed to get away from zombies.
Police said when they got there, Billings was trying to get the truck in gear and drive off. She refused to unlock the door and get out, so the officer used his flashlight to break the window and get her out.

Police: Sapulpa woman said she needed to escape zombies, tried to steal truck | FOX23

10 Oklahomans identified in sex crimes investigation into Southern Baptist church | State & Regional | tulsaworld.com

Hundreds of Southern Baptist church leaders and workers have been accused of sexual misconduct over the past 20 years, including dozens who returned to church duties, according to a joint investigation by two newspapers.

The San Antonio Express-News and Houston Chronicle reported Sunday that their six-month investigation found about 380 Southern Baptist church leaders and workers who were accused of sexual misconduct since 1998, leaving more than 700 victims. Some were as young as 3 years old while others were adults when they were abused, the newspapers reported.

About 220 offenders — among them pastors, ministers, Sunday school teachers, deacons and church volunteers — have been convicted or have taken plea deals, with dozens of cases still pending.
Nearly 100 are still in prison, according to state and federal records. Dozens of others made plea deals and served no time. More than 100 are registered sex offenders, and some have returned to the pulpit. At least 35 church pastors, employees and volunteers who exhibited predatory behavior were still able to find jobs at churches.

The investigation identified 10 men among the 380 who were working in Oklahoma. These are their stories.

10 Oklahomans identified in sex crimes investigation into Southern Baptist church | State & Regional | tulsaworld.com

UPDATED::Former Oklahoma state senator has agreed to plead guilty to a child sex trafficking offense | News OK

UPDATE:: Former state senator ordered to pay over $125,000 in restitution to child sex trafficking victim

A former Oklahoma lawmaker sentenced for child sex trafficking has been ordered to pay more than $125,000 in restitution.

Former state Sen. Ralph Shortey is serving a 15 year prison sentence at a facility in Seagoville, Texas after pleading guilty in Nov. 2017. Police caught Shortey in March 2017 in a Moore hotel room with a then 17-year-old boy.

The teenager said the two had kissed and “fooled around” when police officers arrived.

$125,850 will go to the victim.

UPDATE::  Ex-senator Ralph Shortey sentenced to 15 years in prison in child sex trafficking case

A former Republican state senator in Oklahoma has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on a child sex trafficking charge.

Ralph Shortey was sentenced Monday in federal court in Oklahoma City. He had faced a sentence of up to life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Shortey pleaded guilty in November in exchange for prosecutors dropping three child pornography charges against him. He said the plea deal was in the best interest of him and his family.

This despicable POS is more concerned about his well-being than that of his victim, "'Mr. Shortey feels this is a necessary step in putting this painful and humiliating ordeal behind him, for both himself, his family and for the state of Oklahoma,' the attorney said Friday."

Former state Sen. Ralph Shortey has agreed to plead guilty to a child sex trafficking offense for offering to pay a 17-year-old boy for sexual "stuff" last March.

In exchange for his guilty plea, U.S. prosecutors have agreed to drop three child pornography counts against him.
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By making a deal, Shortey, 35, hopes to avoid being locked up for most of the rest of his life. Still, he will be required to serve at least a 10-year prison term, the mandatory minimum time for child sex trafficking.

Former Oklahoma state senator has agreed to plead guilty to a child sex trafficking offense | News OK

Medium tries to help find missing Welch girls | KTUL

"I just want people to know that heaven is real the angels are real," said Natasha Brock. She describes herself as a medium and an investigator.

"I do hypnosis work where I'm able to put people into a light trance in order to access information and clues about missing people," she said.

And she's been talking to people about Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman, who have now been missing for 19 years.
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"I just want this mother to finally get the peace that she deserves after 20 years," said Brock.

If that were the case, you would take your fake ass psychic bullshit and leave this mother alone.  Your a deluded piece of crap on par with Sylvia Brown.  The dead dont speak!!

I would think the media, in this case Burt Mummolo and KTUL, would be more skeptical of the claims of self-professed psychics. This is unethical and exploitative, and this TV station should have exercised better judgement.

Medium tries to help find missing Welch girls | KTUL

Joplin man charged with sexual abuse of church youth | Local News | joplinglobe.com

A Joplin man is being held on charges that he sexually abused three boys he knew through his involvement with a church in Miami, Oklahoma.

Matthew D. Galati, 29, was arrested last week when information first surfaced regarding disclosures made by three male members of a youth group at the New Beginnings Life Church In Miami. Joplin police Capt. Trevor Duncan said interviews of the boys were conducted at the Children’s Center in Joplin, leading to the filing of charges Thursday by the Jasper County prosecutor’s office.

Galati is charged with four counts of statutory sodomy with a child under 12 years old and two counts of second-degree statutory sodomy in connection with acts committed in Jasper County. But additional victims have been identified and more charges are anticipated, according to Duncan.

“The initial report was three victims,” Duncan told the Globe. “But our department identified three additional victims.”

Joplin man charged with sexual abuse of church youth | Local News | joplinglobe.com

Man Allegedly Caught Having Sex With a Pony May Have Been Drugged and Is 'a Good Christian Boy' Family Says

Conflicting reports as to whether Schlosser could possibly have been voluntarily under the influence, drugged, or if it was medication he was taking.  In either case (besides voluntary inebriation),  have never heard of a drug that has effects after one sip being spit out.

Authorities allege that Tyler Schlosser, 29, was 40 minutes from his Pryor, Oklahoma, home around 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, and on the clock for a local utility company, when he pulled his company truck over at the intersection of County Road 4190 and Montrose Street in the town of Inola.

There in the horse pen off the road, the parent and her child started videotaping the utility worker allegedly “standing behind the pony full nude” and engaging in “what looked like he was having sex with the animal,” according to a Rogers County Sheriff’s Office affidavit obtained by Newsweek.
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Hester stressed that Schlosser is a hardworking husband who is faithful to his wife and his religion. Wednesday's episode was just some unexplainable aberration in his character.

“Tyler’s not that kind of guy,” Hester said. “He’s a good Christian boy. He’s not the kind of person who would do something like that."

Man Allegedly Caught Having Sex With a Pony May Have Been Drugged and Is 'a Good Christian Boy' Family Says

UPDATED::Retired asst. pastor accused of molestation will face judge in August | News | duncanbanner.com

UPDATE::  Former pastor sentenced to prison for molesting 10-year-old

A former assistant pastor at an Oklahoma church has been sentenced to prison for molesting a 10-year-old.

In 2016, Jody Hilliard was arrested and charged with two felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child.

Hilliard, now 73, served as assistant pastor for the First Baptist Church in Duncan for 26 years.

Jody Hilliard, a 71-year-old retired assistant pastor accused of molesting an out-of-town 10-year-old female relative while she visited Duncan, will see a special district judge at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 16 for a preliminary hearing.

The hearing will qualify the evidence of the case in order to proceed to a higher court. Court documents state the mother of the victim and the investigating detective will be called as witnesses.

Hilliard faces two counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child under 12, a felony.

Retired asst. pastor accused of molestation will face judge in August | News | duncanbanner.com

Man identified as Louie's shooter had posted on social media about being 'under hardcore demonic attack'

As a homebody and loner myself, I find this very distressing. Did Tilghman’s condition deteriorated because people ignored him, or because he didn’t have access to proper mental care, or a combination?  It’s disturbing that someone who demonstrated clear signs of mental illness begged for help yet wasn’t able to get it. He was, however, able to get his hands on a gun.

I at least can take comfort in the fact that those I do let into my circle would make sure I got help if need be.  I am also well aware when my bipolar is causing issues and know to take appropriate steps.

A man who police say shot three people at an Oklahoma City restaurant before being shot and killed himself posted videos on YouTube in which he said he was under demonic attack.

In a video dated April 27, Alexander Tilghman sits alone in a room and speaks directly to a camera, saying his life is in danger and he is under "hardcore demonic attack." Tilghman says he constantly hears cracks and booms throughout the house. He asks for "real people" to get in contact with him.

In a comment on the video, Tilghman pleads for help.

Man identified as Louie's shooter had posted on social media about being 'under hardcore demonic attack'

Two decades later, pastor charged with sexual assault of boy in Evanston hotel | Chicago Sun-Times

A former Catholic priest with Chicago ties is facing criminal charges for the first time, nearly two decades after he resigned from his post amid several allegations of child sex abuse.

The case that eventually landed 56-year-old Kenneth Lewis in the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Saturday in Chicago stems from a decade-old allegation of child molestation in an Evanston hotel room, according to a police source in the northern suburb.

In that incident, “Father Ken,” a former pastor in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy on a trip in late July 2001, in a hotel at 1501 Sherman Ave., the Evanston police source told the Chicago Sun-Times. The hotel at that address is now the Holiday Inn Chicago North.
The boy’s parents filed a report with Tulsa police in June 2004, nearly three years after the alleged assault. Authorities in Oklahoma referred the case to Evanston police, and now, 14 years later, Lewis has been criminally charged in the case.

Two decades later, pastor charged with sexual assault of boy in Evanston hotel | Chicago Sun-Times

Affidavit: Demons, mental issues could have played role in Dunca - KSWO 7News | Breaking News, Weather and Sports

The man accused of killing a 19-year-old woman on Saturday morning told police he was seeing faces and hearing voices before the murder, according to court documents. Duncan police interviewed 18-year-old Kevin Miller just hours after he allegedly shot Caitlin Harmon at his home in the 700 block of Drexal Place.

According to records, DPD was called to the home a little after 2:00 a.m. on Saturday after there were reports of a woman who was bleeding from the head. When officers arrived they found Harmon dead on the bed in Miller's bedroom. Miller's dad told police Kevin had come to his apartment area behind the home and told him he had shot Harmon. When the dad went to check on Harmon, that is when he found her. The older Miller then woke up his wife and told her what had happened and that is when she called 911.

Miller's mother told police Kevin suffered from mental issues and she believed he was possessed by a demon. She told police during an interview that they had taken him to Tulsa to have the demon removed.

Affidavit: Demons, mental issues could have played role in Dunca - KSWO 7News | Breaking News, Weather and Sports

UPDATED::Church seeks information about sexual history of teen rape victim – Baptist News Global

UPDATE:: Thousands Call For Judge's Removal After Blind Man Who Raped 13-Year-Old Gets No Jail Time

A judge served Petty to 15 years probation and two years with an ankle monitor. He will also be forced to register as a sex offender.

The reason for the leniency, according to Judge Wallace Coppedge, is because Petty is legally blind.
Public reaction to the sentencing was so intense that a prosecutor connected to the case, David Pyle, resigned shortly after the news broke. Now, an online petition to have Judge Coppedge removed has garnered 102,000, according to The Washington Post. The calls for Coppedge's firing were echoed by an Oklahoma lawmaker who filed a resolution in the House seeking to penalize Coppedge. (The proposal has yet to be voted on. The Oklahoma defense bar has opposed the resolution.)

The petition, which continues to gain traction, is a harsh indictment of Coppedge's decisions pertaining to Petty.

I believe the victim shaming is what the state was trying to avoid at Petty's criminal trial,  As noted,

UPDATE::  Thousands sign petition to remove judge who sentenced blind child rapist to probation

",,,[I]t's rare for a judge to go against a plea deal when all parties are in agreement.

"In a sense, he was just doing his job," she sad. "He was going along with what the state and defense agreed upon. However, I think people are upset about the sentence itself. And, he didn't determine that sentence. That was the state of Oklahoma."

A Southern Baptist church sued in connection with the rape of a 13-year-old girl at a church camp in Oklahoma is asking a judge for permission to question the victim about her sexual history prior to the attack.

The Country Estate Baptist Church of Midwest City, Okla., asked a state judge Jan. 18 to reconsider a decision to exclude all testimony about the unnamed teen’s “prior history of voluntary sexual activity” before she attended camp in 2016 at the Falls Creek camp owned by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.

Attorneys for the church — accused in a lawsuit filed last March of liability for recruiting a 35-year-old cook who during church camp tied up and raped the girl inside a camp cabin — says the girl told fellow campers she was sexually active and feared she might be pregnant by her then-boyfriend.

The church says her prior sexual history “is directly relevant to her claim for physical, emotional and psychological damages, including PTSD and depression.”

District Court Judge Alicia Haynes Timmons rejected that argument in a hearing Jan. 4, saying the information does not have “even a scintilla of any relevance to anything.”

The girl’s attorneys accuse the Midwest City congregation and another church named in the lawsuit of victim shaming.

Church seeks information about sexual history of teen rape victim – Baptist News Global

See also::  Rapist gets probation for attack on 13-year-old at Baptist church camp in Oklahoma

UPDATED::She forced a crucifix down her 'possessed' daughter's throat. Now, she's convicted of murder. - The Washington Post

UPDATE::  Oklahoma Woman Sentenced To Life in Daughter's Crucifix Death

An Oklahoma City woman has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing her adult daughter by forcing a crucifix and medallion down her throat because she believed the woman was possessed by the devil.

Court records show 51-year-old Juanita Gomez was sentenced Monday for the 2016 death of Geneva Gomez. The judge followed the sentence recommended by jurors who convicted her in January of first-degree murder.

Juanita Gomez, 51, was found guilty of first-degree murder of her 33-year-old daughter on Thursday.

Geneva Gomez died after her mother beat her and forced a crucifix down her throat because she believed her child was possessed.

The jury recommended a sentence of life in prison without parole, according to Oklahoma County court officials.
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Juanita Gomez later told police she believed her daughter was possessed by the devil, and she confessed to punching Geneva Gomez repeatedly and forcing a crucifix and religious medallion down her throat until blood spilled out of her daughter’s mouth.

She forced a crucifix down her 'possessed' daughter's throat. Now, she's convicted of murder. - The Washington Post

Former OK Preacher Sentenced For Child Sexual Abuse - NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com |

A judge sentenced a former Green Country preacher to 15 years in prison for molesting a young girl.

Paul Lee was the pastor of Foyil Good Hope Church when he molested a girl between 2009 and 2012.

Former OK Preacher Sentenced For Child Sexual Abuse - NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com |

Church bus minister charged with lewd molestation

Ada Police say Wayne Bean inappropriately touched four girls while working as the bus minister.

Detective Brian Engel says he began investigating in May after an 11-year-old girl refused to get on the bus.

"She started crying and the mother talked to her about why she didn't want to get on the bus," Engel said,"she disclosed to her mother that an individual from the church that rides the bus had been inappropriately touching her."

Church bus minister charged with lewd molestation

Former Sand Springs pastor accused of scamming church members out of tens of thousands | Metro & Region | tulsaworld.com

A former pastor of a Sand Springs church was arrested Monday on allegations that he scammed parishioners out of more than $46,000.

Mark Wayne Miller, 48, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of obtaining money by false pretenses over $500 or a con game after a yearlong investigation.

The Sand Springs Leader obtained a copy of an affidavit that listed by name seven members of Broadway Baptist Church who personally loaned Miller money. Ten more unnamed church members were victims but chose not to get involved in the case, according to police.

Former Sand Springs pastor accused of scamming church members out of tens of thousands | Metro & Region | tulsaworld.com

Investigators: Man behind Broken Arrow prostitution parlor was also running 'evangelistic team' | FOX23

Broken Arrow police say a man arrested in a recent prostitution bust was also running a traveling evangelistic team.

Walter Brazington Jr. is accused of running a prostitution ring in Broken Arrow that was busted up last week.

Police say a woman was knowingly spreading HIV at the parlor.

Authorities say Brazington was also running All Nations Evangelistic Team, a traveling evangelical Christian group based in Broken Arrow.

According to the group's website, Brazington refers to himself as a prophet and an apostle, and he claims to have been preaching since 1981.

Investigators: Man behind Broken Arrow prostitution parlor was also running 'evangelistic team' | FOX23

Nurse tries to perform exorcism on inmate having seizure at Oklahoma County Jail

The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an exorcism investigation at the county jail after a nurse was accused of performing it on an inmate.

The inmate died the next day, and Sheriff’s Office officials said the nurse is no long performing medical services at the Oklahoma County Jail.

Authorities said instead of helping a female inmate having a medical episode, the nurse tried to perform an exorcism. The inmate, 32-year-old Amanda Freeman, died shortly after.

Nurse tries to perform exorcism on inmate having seizure at Oklahoma County Jail

See also: Inmate Dies After Nurse Offers Exorcism Over Medical Treatment