Ex-Truett McConnell VP indicted in case tied to sex abuse probe

A former Truett McConnell University vice president, who quietly resigned in 2024 amidst an investigation into an alleged sexual relationship with a former student and employee, has been indicted on three felony counts of making false statements to law enforcement, according to Jeff Langley, the White County district attorney.

The indictment, issued by a White County grand jury on Monday, accuses Bradley Reynolds of lying to a county sheriff investigator in March 2024 when questioned about his alleged sexual relationship with Hayle Swinson, a former student and university employee who had filed a criminal complaint, alleging the Baptist college administrator had groomed her and raped her.

The grand jury focused specifically on Reynolds’ statements during a March 2024 interview with then-Sgt. Anthony Sims, according to Langley and the indictment which was handed up by a grand jury late Monday.

• Count One stems from Reynolds’ denial during the interview that he had any sexual relationship with Swinson.
• Count Two arose from his denial of ownership of a specific email account. Swinson provided detectives over 300 emails allegedly from Reynolds, many of which contained “a lot of information involving the sexual relationship,” according to Langley. Though the account was later tied to Reynolds, he initially claimed it was not his.
• Count Three addresses Reynolds denial of making the following false statement to Sims of “telling and emailing Swinson that his wife was going to die and that he would make Swinson his second wife.”

It is a felony in Georgia to lie to law enforcement. The penalty carries a punishment of one to five years in prison, a fine, or both.

A judge issued a warrant for Reynold’s arrest Monday based on the indictment, setting bond at $30,000.

Reynolds quietly stepped down from his position at Truett McConnell in Cleveland in 2024, the same day he was interviewed by the investigator. After leaving the university last year, Reynolds reportedly moved to Texas.

The White County district attorney’s office has been in communication with Reynolds’ counsel and is granting him a “reasonable time” — approximately two weeks — to surrender to authorities. Should he fail to do so, Langley confirmed, the county would seek to extradite him from Texas.

The AJC left a message on a cellphone attributed to Reynolds late Monday. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While the White County Sheriff’s Office decided to close the case in 2024 — Sims wrote at the time that he didn’t believe there was enough evidence to prosecute Reynolds— the case file was reopened by Langley after Swinson came forward with her story earlier this year. The state’s statute of limitations has expired on possible charges related to the sex allegations.

The DA declined to comment further on the case.

In a statement to the AJC, Marcia Shein, Swinson’s attorney wrote: “Ms. Swinson is grateful the White County District Attorney examined the case and presented it to the grand jury. The rest is up to the justice system.”

In August the AJC documented Swinson’s story in an investigation into both her allegations of spiritual manipulation and sexual abuse, as well as the university’s response.

In September TMU President Emir Caner was forced out from his position following a months-long investigation into reports that he failed to act on allegations made about Reynolds. The specific findings of the audit, however, were not made public or shared with staff or students.

“This failure to exercise transparency just shows that TMU does not want the public to know what really happened,” Shein, Swinson’s attorney, told the AJC at the time.

Earlier this month an anonymous letter signed by “Concerned Truett Alumni” began circulating online, demanding more accountability in the university’s approach to the independent audit. The letter was sent to TMU trustees and the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, which appoints the trustees and is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, the statement said. The group, which says it represents online groups with hundreds of alumni, did not identify its members. The AJC could not independently verify if TMU and the Georgia Baptist Mission Board received the letter.

TMU declined to comment on the indictment or the statement reportedly sent to the university.