The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

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June 26, 2009

Former pastor pleads guilty to felony child molestation

By Roger McKinney

rmckinney@joplinglobe.com

Roy Huling, 60, who was pastor of First United Pentecostal Church in Webb City, on Friday pleaded guilty to felony child molestation in Jasper County Circuit Court.

Judge David Mouton set Huling’s sentence for Sept. 4.

Huling was charged in August 2007 for incidents that occurred between August 2003 and February 2006 with a girl younger than 13 at his home in Duquesne.

The victim alleged in a probable-cause affidavit that Huling put his hands in her pants and “picked me up and down” while holding her against his body. Huling told police when interviewed that he cupped the girl’s breast and rubbed her vagina “skin to skin” when she was 10 or 11 years old for sexual gratification.

Huling had been pastor of the church at 1426 Crow St. in Webb City since 1987. The address is now the location of Calvary Apostolic Church. Pastor Charles Warren said Huling has not been associated with the church for about 14 months, since around the time the charge was filed. Warren said he doesn’t know Huling.

“We’re trying to move on as a church,” Warren said in a phone conversation.

Under questioning by Mouton, Huling said his education included 42 credit hours of Bible college.

Mouton told Huling that he could face up to eight years in prison.

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