Victim Sues St. Louis Church of Former Youth Minister Convicted of Sex Abuse
SCREENSHOT VIA VIMEO A victim of convicted child sex predator Brandon Milburn is suing the First Christian Church of Florissant, alleging church leaders were repeatedly warned about the former youth minister's pattern of grooming boys and teens long…
Article at St. Louis Riverfront Times
The Survival of David Clohessy
On June 13, 2002, David Clohessy stepped into the light of history. A former altar boy in a rural Catholic church in Moberly, Missouri, he stood at a podium in a massive hotel ballroom in Dallas — and staring back at him from row up upon row of…
Article at St. Louis Riverfront Times
Shunned in Missouri, St. Louis’ Child Predator Hunters Find Allies Elsewhere
Anthony Greene knows when he isn't wanted. Seated behind the wheel of a hulking tractor-trailer on a recent Sunday afternoon, the 45-year-old trucker looms above an expanse of parking lot behind a Love's Travel Stop near downtown St. Louis. Back in…
Article at St. Louis Riverfront Times
She Said St. Francois County Prosecutor Jerrod Mahurin Harassed Her. Then He Fired Her
The nickname that some local attorneys and county employees have given to Jerrod Mahurin, the prosecuting attorney of St. Francois County, isn't professional, and it certainly isn't nice: Douchebag McBully. But then again, these people say, neither…
Article at St. Louis Riverfront Times
Vicki Henry Is Fighting to Reform the Way Missouri Treats Sex Offenders
Four hours into the armed standoff, the narrow residential street in Arnold is crowded with police cruisers, ambulances and SWAT trucks. Two TV news crews set up in someone's front lawn, training their camera lenses on a boxy armored personnel…
Article at St. Louis Riverfront Times
After Six Months Away, Pastor at Center of Church Cover-up Scandal Returns
Who does Steve Wingfield think he's fooling? The question seemed to twist through the pastor's sermon on Sunday, which he delivered before an audience of roughly 200 in the main chapel of First Christian Church of Florissant, or FCCF. It was…
Article at St. Louis Riverfront Times
Church Cites "Stress, Grief, and Fatigue" For Embattled Pastor Steve Wingfield's Sabbatical
After months of criticism, pastor Steve Wingfield is taking a paid sabbatical to escape the hubbub. Boasting a congregation of more than 2,000 members, Wingfield's church, First Christian Church of Florrisant (or FCCF), is among the largest…
Article at St. Louis Riverfront Times
Whisteblower Demands Church Change Sexual Assault Policies, Hints at Lawsuit
For critics of First Christian Church of Florissant's embattled lead pastor Steve Wingfield, the road to reform has been paved with hollow promises and paper victories. In April, Wingfield sued four former members of the north St. Louis County…
Article at St. Louis Riverfront Times
Professor's Accusations Led to South County Pastor Yanking Bible College Funding
Doug Lay was beloved among his students at St. Louis Christian College. The student body voted him 2015's Teacher of the Year. But the bookish English professor was nowhere to be found among the well-wishers who gathered at First Christian Church of…
Article at St. Louis Riverfront Times
Pastor Drops Lawsuit Against First Christian Church of Florissant Whistleblowers
The senior pastor of a North County St. Louis megachurch has dropped his lawsuit against the four former congregants who publicly criticized him in the aftermath of serial child molester Brandon Milburn's 2014 arrest. As described in a Riverfront…
Article at St. Louis Riverfront Times
A Youth Minister's Downfall Is Tearing First Christian Church of Florissant Apart
Illustration by Jeremy Wilson As he waits to face his victims, the former youth minister can do nothing but stare at his manacled hands. His piercing blue eyes barely move as St. Louis County Circuit Judge Robert Cohen adjudicates some half-dozen…
Article at St. Louis Riverfront Times
