INQUISITR.COM / Health & Lifestyle

Kenneth Adkins, Georgia Pastor Who Said Orlando ‘Homosexuals’ Deserved It, Charged With Molesting Male Child

By Zachary Volkert
Published on: 08:03 PST, Aug 26, 2016

Georgia pastor Kenneth Adkins, 56, inspired national outrage when he tweeted that he could not see “homosexuals” as victims following the Orlando shooting, but now he’ll be going on trial beyond the court of opinion.

“Been through so much with these Jacksonville homosexuals that I don’t see none of them as victims. I see them as getting what they deserve.”

According to The Savannah Morning News, Kenneth is currently sitting in Southeastern Georgia’s Glynn County jail after being arrested on two charges of child molestation. Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI)’s special agent Stacy Carson told the paper that the alleged abuse may have taken place in 2010 at a variety of locations — among them the church where Adkins serves as pastor, an unidentified vehicle and at the accuser’s residence. Statements indicate the the accuser is male.

Kenneth reportedly walked into the the Sheriff’s office on Friday morning to turn himself in in the company of his lawyer Kevin Gough. Jackie Johnson, district attorney, requested that the probe be opened into Adkins’ activities on August 12.

Kenneth Adkins’ wife Charlotte has released a full statement saying that the charges against her husband are nothing more than the result of a “rush to judgement” among law enforcement. She said she had full confidence that he husband’s innocence would be proven as more facts were revealed from the case.

“This young man was a part of our teen ministry. Kenneth and I have treated him like [Adkins] family, as has our church. He is a deeply troubled young man, to be sure, and our thoughts and prayers are with him even now.”

Public reaction has been overwhelmingly unforgiving toward the anti-LGBT pastor. Outside of the three areas where Kenneth holds congregations, his name is almost exclusively associated with his comments following the Orlando shooting. Adkins later denied that he was attempting to tie in his tweet with the tragedy at all, but it doesn’t appear that this apology fixed his reputation.

Even in conservative southern Georgia, Kenneth’s techniques to fight against the city’s Human Rights Ordinance were poorly received by many. In mockery of trans women, Adkins would take photos of himself in drag and post them on social media, accompanied by vitriolic rants against the LGBT community, reported Towelroad.

“Miss Jane in her very short Red Dress will deliver a message to the Homosexuals that have taken over the Duval Democratic Party. I am gonna ‘pee’ next to your women in the women’s bathroom and let’s see how y’all feel… Duval black Democrats have very quiet about this issue because the Homosexuals have fooled them into thinking that Black Lives Matter. Trust me, they ain’t Marching for Black folks… I Got a Message for the Homosexuals: You Can Still Go To Hell!”

Although there was an outpouring of support following the Orlando shooting even from religious groups who usually oppose the LGBT community, Kenneth Adkins was one of several who refused to mourn those who died in the terrorist attack. Some hate groups took it even further than the Georgia pastor: the Westboro Baptist Church protested the funerals of those who died in the attack with signs that read, “God sent the shooter.”

[Image via Eric Thayer/Getty Images]

Share this article: Kenneth Adkins, Georgia Pastor Who Said Orlando ‘Homosexuals’ Deserved It, Charged With Molesting Male Child
georgia
More from Inquisitr