Pastor charged with aiding abuser

Alleged molestation not reported

07/16/02 - A Butler County pastor faces charges for allegedly aiding and abetting a parishioner accused of sexually assaulting a 5-year-old Allegheny Township girl.

Jeffery F. Cox, pastor of the Fellowship Baptist Church in Allegheny Township, obtained airline tickets for accused molester Jeremy James Whitmire, and helped Whitmire enroll in a home for troubled young men in Texas, court documents said.

State police said Cox, 41, of 105 Scott Lane, Emlenton, enrolled Whitmire in the home after the girl’s parents notified the pastor that Whitmire had molested their daughter.

Cox allegedly told the parents, who are members of the Fellowship Baptist Church, not to report the allegations to authorities, police said.

District Justice Kelley Streib on Saturday arraigned Cox on felony charges of hindering apprehension or prosecution. Cox is free after posting $15,000 bond.

Whitmire, 23, of 116 Pine St., remains in the Butler Country Prison in lieu of $25,000 bond on charges he assaulted the girl on numerous occasions over the past several months at the child’s home.

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