The sad legacy of Armstrongism continues to rip lives apart. The latest is the conviction today of John Aubrey Pinkston who was found guilty of molesting two girls. Pinkston was a former Worldwide Church of God minister who served for a while in the Monroe, Louisiana WCG. He was also a minister in GTA's church, Church of God International. Various people on Facebook COG sites are talking about him now when he was the minister in their area.
KENNESAW, Ga. -- A pastor was sentenced to prison Thursday when a jury determined he molested at least two young girls and took "no responsibility whatsoever" for his actions.
Jurors deliberated half an hour before convicting 78-year-old John Aubrey Pinkston of two counts of child molestation. Pinkston is the founder and former leader of Congregation of God Seventh Day in Kennesaw.
"Mr. Pinkston, you've been convicted of the unforgivable sin of molesting the most vulnerable members of your flock. You've taken no responsibility whatsoever," Cobb County Superior Court Judge Robert D. Leonard II said before sentencing Pinkston to 20 years with 10 to serve in prison.
Read rest of story here.
Court House News Service had this:
MARIETTA (CN) - It took just 33 minutes for a Georgia jury to convict a 78-year-old pastor of molesting two young girls at his church in Cobb County.
During the trial, two young girls testified that they were molested by defendant John Aubrey Pinkston, at the Congregation of God Seventh Day in Kennesaw, a church Pinkston founded and led.
Pinkston, of Dallas, was arrested in 2013 on a total of three counts of child molestation.
The Cobb District Attorney's Office said later Pinkston confessed to touching one girl when questioned by police, telling them it was a "stupid mistake" that lasted "only 15 seconds."
After the jury announced its verdict, Judge Robert Leonard II sentenced Pinkston to 10 years behind bars, and another 10 years on probation to be served after his release.
"Mr. Pinkston, you've been convicted of the unforgiveable sin of molesting the most vulnerable members of your flock," Leonard said during the sentencing, "You've taken no responsibility whatsoever."
Assistant District Attorney Chuck Boring, who prosecuted the case, was even more blunt during a press conference following Pinkston's sentencing, saying not only did he refuse to take responsibility for his acts, but "he spit in everyone's face with the nonsense that he used to try to manipulate the jury."
Pinkston did apologize before he was sentenced, but when Judge Leonard question whether his apology was sincere, the disgraced pastor expressed only frustration.
"What more do you want me to do? You're going to send me to prison anyway," Pinkston said.
Georgia News Day: Kennesaw pastor John Aubrey Pinkston sentenced on child molestation charges