Pastor Alex E. Thompson of Harvest Vineyard Ministries in Crestview was arrested and charged with child neglect without great bodily harm. Apparently, he housed children in a group home with convicted child molesters and did report a missing child.
Harvest Vineyard, which is on North Main Street, is a group home for more than 80 members. Some residents are convicted felons and sex offenders and lived in the facility with the children, the news release reported.
Thompson was charged due to “a multitude of neglect issues pertaining to his responsibilities,” including failing to report that a child under the ministry’s care was missing to law enforcement or the parents, said police spokesman Lt. Andrew Schneider.
From the comments:
Jan Zizka - Does this mean no more sex offenders washing cars **40 feet** from a school?
Kellie Diaz - You know you belong to the “Fake Christian Club” when you operate under “ mouth dropping" violations. Karen Spencer, you are right, totally unacceptable!
Patricia Morris-Clifton - There is more to the story that will come out. This man is pure evil and using his power to manipulate and benefit from those who are struggling and are desperate for help. For people to make comments on how law enforcement could allow this to happen have no idea how the law works. People of the community probably have known that there were things going on that weren't right and they should have spoke up.
I know this type of operation; a Christian ministry dedicated to feeding the homeless and thumbing its’ nose at the local community. There is one down the street. A homeless camp full of ex-cons. I’ve never seen a child around the place, and the church does a marginally adequate job policing its members, so an uneasy peace exists between the Baptist church and its neighbors, despite complaints. It sounds like that is not the case with Thompson and Harvest Vineyard Ministries. Too bad… it seems the children suffer.
