HIGH POINT, N.C. — WFMY News 2 is digging deeper into alarming accusations against a former youth pastor in High Point. WFMY reviewed the arrest warrants for Robert Murphey, who used to work at Oak View Baptist Church and now faces 30 counts of sexual battery. Investigators say all the victims are between 16 and 19 years old.
The congregation at a High Point church is distraught after learning about the allegations.
"We were devastated to learn that something like this could have happened," said Chris Martin, Oak View Baptist Church Safety Director. "Allegations like this are horrible anytime, but when they're involving church members and juveniles, it just makes them that much worse."
High Point police charged Murphey with dozens of counts of sexual battery stemming from incidents in 2023. Warrants indicate that Murphey is accused of forcing the victims to remove some of their clothing in front of each other.
The church says it is working to ensure that something like this never happens again.
"We're reaching out to the victims. We're keeping them in our prayers. We're offering support any way that we can," Martin said. "We have policies in place to prevent incidents like this, so we're ensuring that those are being followed. We're reminding staff of these policies and trying to make sure that everybody's following them."
The church first learned of the allegations in January of this year, which is when the High Point Police's Special Victims Unit started the months-long investigation. A week later, Murphey resigned. He is currently out on bond and is due back in court on September 23rd.
RELATED: 'Numerous victims': Former High Point church employee arrested for 30 counts of sexual battery
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