Arkansas pastor tried to 'exorcise the demon' from toddler, did meth with his mother and other parishioners
Arkansas authorities revealed how a pastor admitted to using meth with his parishioners as well as performing an exorcism on an emaciated one-year-old boy. Court documents obtained by the News & Observer identified Lloyd Eddie Lasker Jr. as a pastor in the House of Refuge and Deliverance Ministries church in Mayflower. He was reportedly arrested at a gas station on September 22, with authorities recovering meth and a pipe from his vehicle.
Police in nearby Conway had responded to the church for a welfare check four days prior to Lasker's arrest. Upon arrival, authorities found a 21-month-old child with “multiple bruises from head to toe,” his mother, as well as the 49-year-old pastor, the New York Post reported. The boy's mother reportedly claimed her child was "possessed by a demon” before he was rushed to a hospital and admitted into an intensive care unit with brain hemorrahge and extreme malnourishment, police said.
Upon visiting Lasker’s Mayflower home on September 22 to inquire about the case, investigators found he wasn't there. Officers would later spot his white Dodge truck at an Exxon gas station in the small town north of Little Rock, where they recovered about 4 grams of meth from inside his vehicle, per an affidavit. Police said they also found a pipe and more meth on the truck's passenger side. A second man identified as Timothy Bynam was reportedly standing near the driver's side. Speaking to officers, Bynum said the drugs belonged to Lasker - who denied having knowledge about the pipe and drugs inside the truck. However, he admitted to abusing meth “in the past" and several times inside the church, including with the child's mother and other parishioners, per the affidavit.
What's more? Lasker also admitted that he had tried to “exorcise the demon” in the boy. However, he didn't explain what that entailed, cops said. During a search of the church, officers found a bag of suspected meth. They found a shotgun at Lasker's home, per court documents. Being an ex-felon, Lasker had reportedly been barred from possessing firearms, per the report. Lasker was arrested and charged with "possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a gun by a convicted felon." He was later released after posting a $7,500 bond, the Log Cabin Democrat reported Monday. His next court appearance is scheduled on October 13, per documents.
In February, we reported how a married Arkansas mother was arrested and charged after she was accused of sexually assaulting a teenager she was teaching Biology at church. Alisa Andrews, 50, came to the attention of the authorities after a pastor at the Rogers Christian Church reported that a parent had informed him a teacher was having an "inappropriate" relationship with a 17-year-old student, The Sun reported. The teen, who attended a home school program taught by Andrews at the church, confirmed the allegations and told detectives that Andrews had performed sex acts on her about 20 times over several months. She also reportedly came in contact with Andrews at the Arkansas Public Theatre amateur dramatics company, where the 50-year-old was a director. She told them that she had attempted to end their relationship several times, but couldn't do so because Andrews threatened to kill herself each time. During their investigation, police found evidence -- including a handwritten note and several text messages -- that confirmed what the teenager had told them.