Louisiana Pastor Sentenced to Maximum 7 Years for Indecent Behavior with Minor

The Louisiana pastor, Milton Otto Martin III, head of the First Pentecostal Church in Chalmette, received a seven-year prison sentence for molesting a teenage girl over fifteen years ago, the maximum allowed for his conviction.

The survivor stated that Martin had told her her “world would turn upside down” if she reported the abuse and that he blamed her for his actions, claiming he couldn’t resist the temptation.

Martin was initially charged with felony carnal knowledge but was ultimately found guilty of indecent behavior by a jury, which defined that term as any “lewd or lascivious act” on a minor.

The survivor, now thirty, pleaded for the judge to impose the harshest punishment possible, citing the need for accountability and justice in the face of such crimes.

One victim’s attorney expressed hope that the “maximum sentence to this perpetrator” would signal that individuals who exploit minors and their enablers would no longer escape justice.

Judge Darren Roy noted receiving over 100 letters supporting Martin, highlighting the difficulty faced by survivors, but emphasized the severity and recurring nature of his offenses.

Source: Read the original report

Source record preserved at time of reporting.