A pastor of a Gwinnett County church was arrested Tuesday and charged with child molestation, authorities said.
Henry Ellis Lackey, 59, pastor of Free Will Pentecostal Church in Buford, was charged with one count each of enticing a child for indecent purposes, child molestation and aggravated sodomy, according to the Auburn Police Department.
Lackey lives in Auburn, and the molestation occurred four years ago in that city, police said.
In an email, William D. Healan III, a Winder attorney representing Lackey, said, “Mr. Lackey adamantly denies the charges against him. We look forward to our day in court so that we can clear his name.”
The defendant was being held in the Barrow County Detention Center, according to Sgt. Diana Campbell, spokeswoman for the Auburn police.
Campbell said police began investigating the pastor after the child’s parents filed a police report Sept. 6. Details of the alleged incident were being withheld as the investigation was continuing, she said.
Police told Channel 2 Action News that Lackey worked as a heavy equipment operator for the Gwinnett County schools and recently retired after more than 20 years on the job.
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