Pastor Emeritus Charged in Des Moines, Iowa, After Allegedly Driving Kids on Door-Kicking Spree

Timothy Rude, Pastor Emeritus at Walnut Creek Church in Des Moines, Iowa, has been charged with several counts of criminal mischief. According to a report from barstoolsports.com, Rude allegedly drove his son and other children around while they kicked in people’s doors. That report says the incidents were allegedly tied to a Ke$ha-themed TikTok challenge called the “heartbeat challenge.” A second report, from KCCI, describes the trend as one in which kids kick doors to the music of Kesha’s song “Die Young.”

Craig Hurd of Des Moines said that around 10:30 at night, a group of children kicked in his front screen door, broke the glass and damaged the wood entry door of his home. KCCI also reports that the children threw rocks at a window. The Hurds chased the getaway car and recorded its license plate number, which led police to Rude.

Des Moines Police Sgt. Parizek said the pastor was driving his son and other children as they carried out the damage. KCCI reports that police said Rude admitted driving his son around the west side 24 times during four nights last month. The barstoolsports.com report says that over four nights the pastor allegedly drove the children around town 24 times to kick in doors. The two reports differ in describing the area: one refers to town and the other to the west side. Both place the incidents last month and describe the same number of trips.

The damage was substantial. KCCI reports that the damage at the Hurd home, an apartment building on Kingman Boulevard and other homes adds up to thousands of dollars, and the barstoolsports.com report likewise describes thousands of dollars in damage. Protecting neighbors from harm to their homes is a matter of care for those who are vulnerable (Psalm 82:3).

Walnut Creek Church told KCCI that Rude suffered a brain aneurysm in 2016 and moved to emeritus status. The church said he resigned earlier this month after being notified of the charges. The charges remain allegations and have not been tried, and no conviction has been reported. Rude faces an appearance in Polk County district court next month.