A 62-year-old US pastor has been apprehended after allegedly providing a 15-year-old girl with a “spiked” drink and sexually assaulting her within his church grounds.
The incident was reported to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office by an anonymous caller who reported overhearing a conversation where the girl revealed that she had been raped.
The suspect, identified as Monte Chitty, leads the First Baptist Church in Marathon, Florida.
As law enforcement authorities were working to locate the alleged victim, Chitty contacted the sheriff’s office himself.
Monroe County Sherriff's Office spokesperson Becky Herrin told The Daily Mail: “Chitty said he believed he was about to be accused of something and he wanted to get ahead of it".
He told deputies that he had found a young girl from his congregation passed out on a couch in the church's library after consuming alcohol.
Chitty claimed he had merely assisted her to lie down, denying any inappropriate behaviour.
However, when deputies said that when they managed to locate and talk to the teen, her account painted a different picture.
They said she alleged that Chitty had given her alcohol which she suspects was laced with something that caused her to lose consciousness.
Upon awakening, she accused Chitty of sexually assaulting her.
Subsequent investigations revealed text messages exchanged between Chitty and the victim on their respective phones.
According to local police, Chitty sent her a text message after the assault saying: “I prefer you pass out after I play not before”.
Chitty is now detained at the Monroe County Detention Centre facing charges of sexual assault and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. His bond has been set at $75,000 (£58,455).