Local 8 Headlines

Pastor protestors arrested for sex offender violation

Posted: 11:32 AM May 18, 2012
Reporter: Conroy Delouche

Pastor protestors arrested for sex offender violation

DANDRIDGE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Two registered sex offenders were arrested outside of a Dandridge church on Friday after authorities discovered they were registered sex offenders.

Ricky Dean Moore and Michael David Sadler were displaying a large "Shame on Pastor Brown" banner in front of the First Baptist Church on Hwy. 92.

By law, sex offenders cannot be within a thousand feet of a day care, McCoig explained, pointing out that the church also has a Christian Learning Center.

Dr. Bob Brown is the senior pastor at First Baptist Church, and he says the union was unhappy with the people hired to build a new sanctuary at the church.

So, Moore and Sadler set up by the church's entrance in protest: holding the "shame" sign.

"We brought them water to drink, we brought them food on occasions. I wave at them everyday when I went by," said Brown.

He says church members were friendly to the protestors.
But that all changed when Sheriff McCoig told him the union workers had a criminal past.

"We just never dreamed that there was going to be a situation where we would find out where they were convicted sex offenders, both of them," said Brown.

That's a problem, given that there's a daycare inside the church

"It is unsettling that someone would come on to this property and bring such an unsafe, undesirable, situation right here into our front yard," said Wendy Ivens.

Ivens is not only a mom, she's on the building committee, which aims to keep children out of harm's way from construction.

She couldn't believe the people sitting out front would be a bigger threat than the cranes and hammers.

"There are gonna be checking stations to make sure anyone who comes in can feel safe about leaving their child here for church services and for the day care," said Ivens.

"Whoever employed them should've checked their background, and not put our church and our church families in jeopardy," said Anne Rogers, a longtime church member.

Pastor Brown says he's glad the situation is resolved, but can't help but notice the irony.

"It's a bit ironic when they're saying 'Shame on Pastor Brown' when truly they are the ones that should be ashamed that they would hire these convicted sex offenders," said Brown, referring to the Mid South Carpenters Regional Council.

Both Moore and Sadler are charged with violation of the sex offender registration law.

We tried to talk to the office of the listed work address for both, but a man inside said anyone who would know anything were already gone for the weekend.