Volunteer Youth Leader at Abilene, Texas, Megachurch Charged With Child Pornography Possession After Church Member Alerted Police

Charles Goff, 24, has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography in Taylor County, Texas. According to court documents, he allegedly admitted to a fellow church member that he struggled with child pornography. Goff has been booked into the Taylor County Jail. The charge is an accusation, and no conviction has been reported.

The church member to whom Goff allegedly confided alerted police. In speaking with officers, Goff allegedly said he had a problem with videos of girls around 14 or 15 years old, according to court documents obtained by KTXS. Investigators have not been reported to have reached any finding beyond the charge itself.

Court documents also allegedly state that Goff used various social media platforms to solicit videos and images from teenage girls. Documents obtained by KRBC report that police found three videos on Goff’s phone. These are allegations described in court records, and they have not been tested in court.

Goff served for years as a volunteer youth leader at Beltway Park Church, a Baptist megachurch in Abilene, Texas, where thousands attend each week. In a statement, the church said Goff had passed two background checks conducted two years apart. Those checks are part of the record the church has described publicly, and the statement did not say whether they included any review of concerns of the kind now alleged.

Beltway Park Church said it “remain[s] committed to doing everything in our power to support the ongoing investigation” and expressed “tremendous grief for any children in any location who may be proven to have been harmed by this person’s actions.” The church’s use of the phrase “may be proven” reflects that the allegations remain unresolved. A member who reported the matter to police acted to protect the vulnerable (Psalm 82:3).

The church also said it is “here to offer prayer, support and additional ministry resources throughout this process to anyone who may have been impacted by these events,” and that it “stand[s] ready to assist in any way.”

Source: Read the original report