Kentucky pastor, 26, tried to set up a 'threesome' with two underage girls working under him
A Kentucky pastor has been arrested for allegedly seeking sexual intercourse with a minor via text messages.
Bobby J. Blackburn, 26, was charged with prohibited use of an electronic communication system to procure a minor to commit a sex act after he turned himself in last Wednesday without incident, the Prestonsburg Police Department said in a news release.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Blackburn is a pastor at Elevate Church in Prestonsburg. That said, he also owns Giovanni's, a pizza restaurant in Prestonsburg, per WYMT.
According to an arrest citation, officers obtained a warrant for Blackburn's arrest May 24 after a girl showed a police sergeant her iMessage conversation with the pastor, the Courier-Journal reported.
Police stated that Blackburn asked the minor to engage in a "threesome" with him and another female minor, aside from other sexually explicit requests. The arrest citation also stated that both minors were employed by an unnamed business managed by Blackburn.
Authorities said Blackburn followed a third female minor to the Prestonsburg Police Department on May 25, where she admitted to sending the obscene messages from his phone.
However, per the arrest citation, the girl took back her statement when police questioned her further. She later told them Blackburn had instructed her to take the blame for the messages or risk losing her job. When officers tried to collect Blackburn's phone via a search warrant, family members told them the phone was thrown in a Pike County river.
The report also states Prestonsburg police attempted to arrest Blackburn on a warrant. However, they were unable to locate his whereabouts until he turned himself in on Wednesday. According to online court records, Blackburn was booked into the Floyd County Detention Center on Wednesday and released the same day after he posted a $5,000 bail.
Having said that, Blackburn could face one to five years in prison if convicted. He is scheduled to attend an arraignment hearing on June 16.