BESSEMER CITY, N.C. -- Women were complaining to police three years ago that a Bessemer City pastor was touching them inappropriately, according to Gaston County Police.
But because of a clerical mix-up, they said, he wasn't charged until two more women came forward this October.
Gaston police Capt. J.D. Ramey said there was a system breakdown and that his department in the future would keep better watch over the process "to make sure they don't slip through the cracks."
"It's one of those unfortunate situations," he told the Observer on Monday. "Under these circumstances, you have to pay more careful attention to details."
Harley Michael Keough, pastor of King James Baptist Church, was charged Friday with five counts of sexual battery, dating back to September 2006.
His first appearance in court was Monday. He asked for a court-appointed attorney, and the judge sent his case to the public defender's office.
Ramey said the current charges involve five women ages 23 to 46. They accuse the pastor of groping them as they sought assistance from the food bank run out of his church.
Ramey said Monday "there is the potential for more charges" against Keough, but he wouldn't elaborate.
The pastor, 72, couldn't be reached by the Observer on Monday. But after he was charged on Friday, Keough said he was innocent and looked forward to clearing his name in court. A check of computer court records shows Keough has no criminal record in North Carolina.
Members of his church helped post Keough's $50,000 bond, and he led Sunday morning services for a couple of dozen worshippers, according to Observer news partner, WCNC-TV.
The delay in his arrest can be traced back to how police deal with some misdemeanor crimes, Ramey said.
Many victims, after they file police reports, are asked to go to the magistrate on their own to swear out warrants. In those cases, it's up to them to follow through.
In this case:
In 2006, two women reported the pastor to police seven weeks apart. The first woman decided she did not want to go forward as "the only victim," Ramey said. The second woman was given the go-ahead to get her own warrant but did not follow through, he said.
In 2008, a third woman came forward and was also instructed to swear out a warrant, Ramey said. She followed through, but the warrant was mistakenly issued using an incorrect name and age for the accused. So the pastor was not served with a warrant or arrested, he said.
In October, two more women came forward with allegations against Keough, Ramey said. And when police discovered the three previous accusations, they re-opened those cases, he said.
