A children’s minister and a pastor in Tennessee have been arrested for attempting to engage in sexual activity with a minor from a sting set up by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations.
The men both responded to a Craigslist ad which led them to a hotel room where they expected the act to take place. Instead, the men were arrested.
46-year-old Jason Kennedy was one of the two. Kennedy has served as a youth minister at Grace Baptist Church in Karns, Tennessee for over two years.
The church released a statement saying they had no idea that Kennedy could be a threat to children, though it seemed clear that they had done no background check on the man before allowing him to supervise children.
36-year-old Zubin Parakh was also arrested for attempting to solicit a minor. Records show that Parakh is heavily involved with Lifehouse Church in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Parakh served as a volunteer pastor and was well on his way to becoming an official pastor.
The men were just two of many Tennessee residents who were caught in the sting, though they were the only ones arrested for trying to engage with a minor.