Pastor Faces Assault, Stalking Charges

The senior pastor of Calvary Temple Church in Fredericktown, MO is facing charges of third degree assault and stalking.

The Daily Journal reports 69-year-old Carl M. Cureton was charged Wednesday with the two class A misdemeanors.

Cureton told the Journal he plans to continue serving as senior pastor.

According to a probable cause statement, the alleged victim told police she had been harassed for years, grabbed and kissed on the mouth by Cureton without her consent.

The victim reportedly told police she had not reported the incident due to the "backlash" it would cause because of Cureton's position in the community.

According to court documents, the victim said over the past two years the suspect came into her place of employment several times, watched her and asked her to walk around with him.

He would then allegedly grab her hand and rub her palm. She told police he talked to her about attending church and God, then made inappropriate statements.

The statement went on to read that during a recent incident he entered the “employee only” area where she was located and began rubbing her shoulders, leaned down, put his arms around her and hugged her. She said she jumped up and Cureton allegedly asked her if she was mad, to which she replied she didn't appreciate his rudeness. He then reportedly grabbed her and kissed her on the mouth.

A hearing has not yet been set.

Fredericktown, MO is about 45 miles West of Cape Girardeau.