It took a jury just an hour to convict controversial Georgia pastor Kenneth Adkins of eight child molestation charges Monday in Brunswick.
Adkins was accused of molesting a 15-year-old boy and girl at his church in 2010.
Adkins, 57, was arrested in August, just months after tweeting that homosexuals "got what they deserved" after the Pulse nightclub shooting that killed 49 people and injured 53 others in Orlando, Fla.
According to the Florida Times-Union, Adkins watched the teens have sex in his church office, at the beach and in his car. The male accuser also told authorities he had offered up his girlfriend sexually to Adkins, who was 50 at the time.
The male reportedly said the sex wasn’t forced and that Adkins often provided him with money and support. The female denied the allegations, the Times-Union reported, and had stayed with Adkins and his wife until a month after his arrest.
Adkins and his attorney, Kevin Gough, denied the accusations, the paper reported, saying money motivated the male victim to come forward.
Gough also said the male accuser could have been getting back at Adkins for his Pulse comments. He had married another man months before the allegations, the paper reported.
In a phone interview with the Times-Union, Adkins denied having sex with the teens and said the explicit photos and messages "were bad decisions" that he "cannot justify."
Adkins will be sentenced April 25.
He has Greater Church congregations in Atlanta, Brunswick and Jacksonville.
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