OKLAHOMA CITY – The Multi-County Grand Jury has indicted former pastor Joseph Lyle Campbell, 68, on one count of first-degree rape and one count of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16. The indictment alleges the crimes occurred in 1984 while Campbell was the youth pastor at the Eastland Assembly of God Church in Tulsa.
Between May 1 and Oct. 1 of that year, he allegedly raped a girl age 11 or 12 in the garage of his home. In addition, he is accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl at the church, which allegedly occurred between March 1 and Dec. 1.
Drummond commended the work of the grand jurors who considered the evidence.
“The crimes alleged in the indictment are horrific,” he said. “There can be no tolerance for child sex predators, particularly adults who exploit their positions of authority and the faith of their victims. My office will vigorously work to ensure justice is served for the women who have carried this trauma for decades.”
More recently, Campbell has been a pastor at Morningside in Blue Eye, Missouri.
Every person arrested or charged is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.
