Youth pastor David Mercer of Folsom, Louisiana, arrested and accused of sexually abusing children in the 1990s

Deputies with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested David Mercer, 72, on Friday, July 10. Reports describe Mercer as a Folsom youth pastor. The supplied reports do not specify the charges against him.

Mercer is accused of sexually abusing multiple children during the 1990s. One report describes the accusations as involving abuse decades ago. The arrest followed an investigation into those allegations, which concern alleged conduct from more than two decades earlier, and the allegations involve children, a matter that calls for protecting the vulnerable (Proverbs 31:8-9).

According to the reports, a search warrant was executed at a property linked to First Baptist Church. The two accounts differ on the location. One report says the warrant was executed at a residence linked to the church, while the other says it was executed at a First Baptist Church property. The second report adds that the church was involved in the search process. Special Victims Unit detectives assisted in the search.

The investigation is ongoing, and one report says the case remains active, with law enforcement examining the pastor’s conduct from the 1990s. The reports do not state that Mercer has entered a plea or been convicted, and they do not describe any lawsuit, settlement, or institutional review.

Authorities urged anyone with information about the matter, or anyone who believes they may have been a victim, to contact the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office. The second report directs people who believe they were affected by the pastor’s alleged actions to the same office.