Multiple child victims in case
Published 2:18 am Saturday, October 24, 2009
New details are emerging in the sex abuse case against a local pastor, as Sheriff Dennis Meeks confirmed Friday there are “multiple” child victims in this “large-scale” investigation.
Ralph Lee Aaron, a 54-year-old Andalusia resident, was jailed Wednesday on charges of sex abuse of a child under 12 and sodomy. As of Thursday, he was listed as the pastor of Grace Christian Fellowship on Shreve Road.
Meeks said Aaron was booked into the county jail where he is being held without bond on the first of what is expected to be many other sex abuse charges.
“This appears to be a large scale investigation, with maybe even more charges in the future,” Meeks said. “It really is a very large case, and we don’t know where it’s going to lead. That’s why the information is slow in coming out.
“I will say as far as we know right now, there are multiple local victims. But as I said before, this is a large case, and we don’t know where the investigation will go as it continues,” he said.
Meeks did not comment on the gender of Aaron’s alleged victims nor the circumstances that began the investigation into Aaron’s alleged actions.
No contact information was found for Grace Christian Fellowship. As of Friday evening, The Star-News had received no word concerning Aaron’s standing in the church.