“Man can and does rationalize his sins. He finds reasons for all his weakness, invents excuses that first calm and then deaden his conscience. He blames God, society, education, and environment for his wrongdoing.” Mother Angelica
Since when does having a sick wife and too much to do at church cause a pastor to rape a teen allegedly? Years ago, Flip Wilson, a comedian, trademarked the term “The devil made me do it.” I’ve often thought about his humorous portrayals of Geraldine, the wife of Reverend Leroy of the Church of What’s Happening Now. I’ve included an old clip at the end of the post. I thought about this when I read the following sad story of a young teen who was allegedly raped by a pastor who seems to blame all sorts of things for this act….except himself.
SBC pastor accused of raping a teen
The Christian Post published Pastor accused of raping impaired teen was going through ‘difficult times’ with sick wife. Read the following description and see if you spot what appears to have been left out.
Monte Lavelle Chitty of Marathon, who leads First Baptist of Marathon, and recently started a dockside ministry for a boating community in Boot Key Harbor, was charged with sexual battery of a minor, lewd and lascivious conduct and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.
The article doesn’t mention that this is an SBC church. Remember, even if a church is named “First Baptist,” that doesn’t necessarily mean it is SBC. Before reading other accounts, I went to the SBC Churches Directory, which confirmed that this church is a member of the SBC. I believe that all media reports should state the church’s denomination and I get irritated when I have to do the work for a large media group.
The Florida Keys Sheriff’s Office documented his arrest.
Here is a Florida Keys Sheriff’s Office report on their Facebook Page. This SBC pastor sure knew how to cover his bases. He was a pastoral volunteer with the Sheriff’s Office. It didn’t work. Read what he said to the Sheriff’s office. He called ahead…
Man charged with sexual battery on a minor
A 62-year-old Marathon man has been charged with sexual battery on a 15-year-old girl.
An anonymous caller reported overhearing the girl as she told an adult she was with she’d been raped. The caller said the girl and her grandmother had boarded a dinghy and headed out into the harbor. As deputies attempted to find the victim, communications officers received a second call from the suspect, Monte Chitty, who is the Pastor at the First Baptist Church in Marathon.
Chitty said he believed he was about to be accused of something and he wanted to get ahead of it. He said a young girl at his church had been drinking and had passed out on a couch in the library of the church. He said he helped her to lie down on the couch but did not touch her after that.
The girl was found on board a boat where she lives. She said Chitty gave her alcohol that she thinks might have been “spiked” with something else. She said she immediately began to feel weak and lost consciousness. She said when she woke up, she found Chitty sexually molesting her.
Further investigation by detectives revealed text messages between the victim and Chitty. In those messages, which were found on both his and her phones, Chitty made reference to having sexual relations with the girl while she was impaired.
Chitty was arrested and charged with sexual assault and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He was booked into the Monroe County Detention Center.
Chitty was a registered volunteer with the Sheriff’s Office who offered his services as a pastor in April of 2023. To date he has not performed any services for the office.
What the victim told the police. (Warning: graphic)
From Local10.com, in Report reveals graphic texts cops say Marathon pastor sent teen after sexual battery.
The girl, however, would tell deputies that Chitty had given her what she believed was a “spiked” drink, the report states.
“She stated that after drinking what she thought to be vodka, she felt weak, could not walk and eventually lost consciousness while at the church,” deputies wrote.
Authorities said she woke up to Chitty performing oral sex on her.
“She stated after he was done and left, she got up and ran out and contacted her grandmother to pick her up,” deputies wrote in the report.
The report states she then showed text messages from Chitty.
If the reader looks at the Sheriff’s statement on Facebook above, there appears to be evidence that Chitty referenced having sexual relations with his victim while she was impaired. It is obvious to this reader that Chitty knew what he was doing.
As of 3/11/23, Chitty has been accused of a felony and will be arraigned on April 1, 2023.
Further reports on what the police learned. (Graphic)
According to the Christian Post, in pastor accused of raping impaired teen was going through ‘difficult times’ with sick wife:
The teenager also showed police text messages from the pastor which came from the same number he used to call the police.
According to the report, the pastor used a cat emoji to compliment the teenager on her genitals.
“I prefer you pass out after I play not before,” deputies say Chitty texted her. “You can’t even remember what I did.”
He then pressed the teenager to find out how much of the assault she remembered. Chitty complimented the teenager’s genitals a second time and after she replied “ig” to indicate “I guess,” deputies said the pastor replied, “Just say thank you.”
Chitty allegedly went on to compliment the teenager’s breasts and encouraged her to sit on the couch in a way to make it “easier” to perform sex acts on her.
After corroborating the conversation on the pastor’s phone, officers wrote in their report that: “Mr. Chitty admitted to sending the text messages but later invoked his right to an attorney and denied the sexual contact.”
On 1/23, he claimed he was going through hard times.
Was he working on some excuses here? Two months later, he was arrested.
The church is mum on the situation.
As of today, the church does not appear to have any statement online. They are now limiting comments on Facebook.
Too much work and a sick wife are excuses. The devil does not make you do it.
It seems possible that the pastor was preparing some excuses for his predatory sexual behavior. Readers will probably guess what I will say next. A person who rapes does so as a means to assert power over an individual, usually one who is the weaker in the power differential. Interestingly, he signed up to volunteer with the Sheriff’s office. Did he do so to get on the right side of the law, knowing he had an issue and would most likely be arrested at some point? It’s possible, but who knows?
His excuses are just that-excuses. A decent person going through a crisis with a sick wife and “too much work as a pastor” doesn’t allegedly rape a teenage girl to “feel better about himself.” He rapes because he is a rapist. He likes the feeling of power. If he has done it once, he has likely done it before and will likely do it again. If this rape of a teen girl were proven true, he would be a danger to his community, and I believe it is true.
Years ago, I heard a good sermon in which the pastor said it is our choice to act against God’s will. The devil doesn’t choose for us. Instead, he is like the fireplace bellows (or blower): He stands behind us, fanning the flames. Chitty’s excuses and anger were lame. It would seem an SBC pastor should know that. Maybe he does, and he doesn’t care.
If he has enough energy for sex while his wife is convalescing, he is not spending enough energy on caring for his wife and the church.
And if he is so overwhelmed with caring for his wife and his church, where does he get the time and energy to volunteer with the Sheriff’s department?
who gives a 15 year old vodka anyway?
Being the author of sin, the devil might have made him do it, but only because the guy was already a willing partner with the devil in some way or another – and it would not have been a recent partnering either.
I don’t believe sins like this are a sudden thing. The only way one gets to this point is to have had issues with SIN in this arena go unchecked for years and years.
Because we are all fallen, I personally think that there is likely some truth to the old adage “There but for the grace of God go I”.
However, someone can only arrive at such low place after long periods of time resisting God’s grace. Long periods of time indulging sin. Long periods of time not getting help with sin.
God’s grace manifests itself in myriad ways throughout our lives. It takes determination to resist it repeatedly and long enough to reach this level of depravity.
I think some of the 2023s should be 2024
After doing a deep dive recently on the Bare Marriage website (great set of resources there by the way) I can’t help but think this guy believes the whole song and dance of “my wife wasn’t meeting my needs” evangelical argument which links a man’s bad behavior (porn and any extra marital sexual activity including assault) directly to a wife not giving him what he wants as often as he wants. Chitty doesn’t come out and say that but it sure seems implied.
However assault and abuse dont come from other peoples lack of serving us. They are the result of the twisted soul of a perpetrator.
Of course it’s convenient to blame someone else- been going on since the very first couple Adam and Eve did it. God didn’t buy their excuses either.
You are right. I was working on some paperwork for my mom’s estate yesterday, and she passed in 2023. It looks like I carried that into the post. I’m sorry, and I have corrected it.
Quick Update
My comments were in the Boston Globe today. They link to the blog in the article, so be aware of some outside traffic.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/03/19/metro/park-street-church-leadership-crisis/
Let me guess…
It’s All Wifey’s Fault because she didn’t put out enough?
(Remember Chuckles Mahaney when Widdle Wifey was puking her guts from morning sickness?)
That’s necessary to put himself on the Cop side of the Cop/Not-Cop divide.
Because Cop will always defend Cop against Not-Cop.
Code of Blue.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdil/pr/lutheran-pastor-arrested-godfrey-charged-distributing-child-pornography
According to the complaint, the investigation of Tibbetts began in August 2019 when the
photo-sharing website, Tumblr, provided a cyber tip line report about one of its user accounts to
the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The account was searched by law
enforcement and allegedly found to contain images and videos of nude minors engaging in sexually
explicit conduct. The complaint alleges that NCMEC also received a tip from Twitter in February
2020 that one of its users had uploaded two images of suspected child pornography.
Investigators were allegedly able to trace the Tumblr and Twitter accounts back to Tibbetts’ home,
where a federal search warrant was executed on June 18. An initial review of Tibbetts’ computer
allegedly revealed the presence of additional child pornography images and videos, and agents
subsequently arrested Tibbetts at his home without incident.
Geraldine was supposed to be Rev Leroy’s Pastor’s Wife?
“HEAR HEAR REVEREND LEROY HEAR HEAR!”
— Deacon chorus of The Church of What’s Happening Now
“My wife… She don’t understand me…”
— Bad pickup line from a Laverne & Shirley episode
If the dude really did rape a teen, I hope they’re arranging a stay for him in the hoosegow.
The charges seem odd. He’s not been charged with rape. Why not?
His church, if responsible, should remove him immediately. Alas, another horrid saga of victimizers in the pulpit. His PR since charged is another case study in DARVO. God is not amused.
“The church is mum…..”
Oh, my! That leads me to assume that they have not fired him!
At 62 years old, he molests teenager and gets caught….. makes me wonder what he has done in the past, and managed to get away with.
Afterburne,
Yes to everything you’ve said.
I’ve been wondering whether in coming years we might begin to see more first offenses among people with objectively clean histories. There’s evidence that COVID can impair executive function and impulse control.
Some examples
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35297561/
this one is recent and has free text:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38470899/
If predation is a spectrum, there might be a population of sub-clinical near-predatory personality types who will start offending after COVID-induced impairment in executive function and impulse control.
That’s a slam dunk … what are they waiting on?
There is always more to the story with these characters. But, ‘the’ story here is that he committed a crime not to mention that he has permanently forfeited his ministry.
Considering the frequency of these sad reports by TWW and elsewhere, is it too much to ask a “Pastor” to keep his pants on?!
Do you reckon that SBC higher-uppers have added Mr. Chitty to their sex abusers list?
And risk GOD’s Wrath?
Touch Not Mine Anointed, remember.
i.e. What’s his REAL Body Count?
Godly pervs say one to another,
“Perv unto perv o’er the world is Brother!”
And “Chitty Chitty Bang-Bang” knows ALL the Secret Handshakes.
Checked the second example. Seems to be an impairment across the board, most severe in active acute cases but not rebounding completely upon recovery – “Long COVID Brain Fog”. F
its in with the mechanism of the virus being primarily a vascular infection attacking the capillaries. In the lungs (initial point of infection for an airborne), this was probably responsible for ventilators being much less effective than in other causes of viral pneumonia. In the brain, such capillary damage would be like an array of “micro-strokes” lessening function across-the-board. Do not know if length of recovery is a factor; though nerve damage does not regenerate, the brain can recover to some extent through “cross-rewiring” around the damaged/destroyed neurons.
Those excerpts read like the chat logs from To Catch a Predator…
In the States, vodka is essentially a 50/50 ethanol/water solution and not much else. If you’re not used to it, it can easily knock you out. But the “spiked” makes me wonder if there was something more in it. Like a Roofie or two. But Roofies black out your memory and she remembers what Chitty Chitty Bang-Bang was doing to her when she came to – genderflipped Clinton/Driscoll.
Either way, this was premeditated; he knew what he was slipping her and what it was going to do.
I think there’s evidence of generalized slowing of function. In moderate cases, it amounts to a decline of 3 points IQ. Larger in cases severe enough to require intensive care.
I’ve read that the effect is similar to ageing of the brain by a decade or two.
Maybe the people who were going to turn into “dirty old men” will start doing that at a younger chronological age than was the case in the past.
—
I have a bad feeling about what may be happening in crowded gatherings where there is a lot of vocalization and aerosol production. Those may be effective spreading events.
And the pastor is right there, probably not protected with a respirator, and perhaps face-to-dace interacting with large numbers of the people after the end of the meeting.
It’s pure speculation whether brain damage might have something to do with the incident discussed in the OP, but I suspect that may become an issue in future. Perhaps defense attorneys will develop new forms of abuser legal defense from this.
We could have traversed the life of this whole thread quite nicely without mention of that cad. (Mahaney)
You mean those so onerously labour intensive “worship power” points?
Once a model, always a model
The bulletin person got suspended – and the personnel officer is too busy mowing lawns. Short staffed remember.
With the great multitude of churches in America, I suspect there are lots of overworked pastors with sick wives … who remain faithful.
Which means we can expect a rise in early-onset Alzheimer’s and early-onset Senile Dementia.
“She stated after he was done and left, she got up and ran out and contacted her grandmother to pick her up,” deputies wrote in the report.
The report states she then showed text messages from Chitty.
If the reader looks at the Sheriff’s statement on Facebook above, there appears to be evidence that Chitty referenced having sexual relations with his victim while she was impaired. It is obvious to this reader that Chitty knew what he was doing.”
This part.
Why didn’t grandma contact the police? I would have (and I have a granddaughter, though younger)! Seems we need more education within the church that contacting the police and making a report, even on a pastor, is the right thing to do. You are being a good Christian by trying to prevent this from happening to someone else.
Headless Unicorn Guy,
The “equivalent to ageing” effect I think was in the context of changes in raw processing power. As we get older, we don’t think as quickly; normally this is counteracted or compensated for by growth in wisdom and experience.
I hope that this equivalent ageing does not also apply to the processes that lead to pathologies like Alzheimers and dementia. Or maybe the damage will lead to new pathologies that have not previously been widespread enough to attract a lot of medical notice. I suppose that we will find out in coming years and decades.
Necessary to get on the Cop side of the Code of Blue –
Cop will always protect Cop against Not-Cop.
A RAPIST whose Appetites are towards Jail Bait (and didn’t have the $$$ or connections for Epstein’s Island).
“As a man ages, his eyes turn towards younger and younger women…”
— Voddie Baucham
“Candy is dandy
But liquor is quicker”
— Ogden Nash
Something else that occurred to me is personality changes caused by this creeping brain damage. Brain injury can cause changes in personality as well as processing power, and when it does, the changes are almost always for the WORSE. Usually towards X-treme Selfishness, X-treme Bitchiness, and X-treme Nastiness.
And Long COVID brain damage might be cumulative. COVID does not confer immunity doe more than a few months, if that. It is possible to get it over and over, the chance of Long GOVID and associated damage accumulating with each time. Vaccination helps head this off, but the Bible Belt Red States have the highest concentrations of anti-Vaxxers and the lowest vaxx rates — Mark of the Beast and all that.
Put all these together and it starts sounding like a Perfect Storm setup.
Just saw on the news that Texas now bans public health departments from promoting the covid vaccine.
They keep going this way, thinking they are fighting the blue side in politics, and in another 15 years the red side will have all died off.
I think this is related to the issue that impairment of executive function (and impulse control is an ‘executive function’) seems to be one of the consistently observed outcomes when there is brain damage. The personality changes, but the change may in part simply be “dropping of the mask.” The heart is desperately wicked, and all that.
I have a measure of sympathy for people who are skeptical of the vaccines (which I think from the outset were oversold — they reduce disease severity but do not interrupt transmission they way a conventional vaccine that produces sterilizing immunity would). But what mystifies me is the combination of vaccine aversion and aversion to other protective measures, such as the use of high quality respiratory protection.
People are not dull-witted; something else is going on. A friend who is a Harvard graduate (in biology!) has repeatedly declined my offers to send quantities of N95s for her use and to share with others. No-one in her social circle uses them and she doesn’t want to, either.
I think that it’s a combination of “wanting life to be normal again” and, in Christian circles, a belief that “not fearing the virus” is an expression of faith that God will honor.
And, perhaps as “impairment of executive function” becomes more widespread, it will become harder and harder for people to resist the social pressure to continue to ignore the problem.
I fear that it’s a slow-motion civiliza5ional train wreck.
As the Doctor-Who channeled saying goes on another ‘blog that I frequent, “we seem to be living in the stupidest time-line.”
Definitely! Don’t let church leaders handle/cover crimes, call 911.
Samuel Conner,
Your own dull wittedness and / or shifting motives have let us down. Fundamentalist yourself, a nice one of course, you have lost any clear focus on what ma es bad religion bad religion. Your indistinct analyses don’t apply to the United States. But Dee intended her blog to be relevant to a world wide readership. You will never be grateful to those who, though inarticulate, are wary of corruption, or care for anyone in other countries who don’t have to ma e their case to you in public.
And people are capable of some pretty dark Evil all on their lonesome.
Probably a lot more than one.
Especially with the ethanol foreplay.
And a 62-year-old ManaGAWD doing a 15-year-old?
“As a man ages, his eyes turn towards younger and younger women…”
— Voddie Baucham
with overtones of Proving to Himself that “I’M YOUNG! I’M YOUNG! I’M YONG! REALLY! I AM!”
(I once knew of a guy who did something similar when his 30th birthday triggered the most extreme mid-life crisis I’ve ever witnessed.)
As in “More Worshipful Than Thou”?
Expressed as yelling louder, like the priests of Ba’al vs Elijah on Mt Carmel?
(Incidentally, “Ba’al” can be translated as “Lord”. Gives a whole new meaning to the Seventies Christianese shtick of every other word being “The LORD! LOOOOOORD!! LOOOOOOOOOOOOOED!!!”.)
Don’t Over-Spiritualize.
“Loss of self-control” is a more understandable way of saying the same thing.
The behavioral version of Incontinence.
Latest from Julie Roys:
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (who was banging where he shouldn’t) Got Busted yesterday in Texas.
https://julieroys.com/fugitive-florida-pastor-chitty-accused-sexually-abusing-teen-girl-caught-texas/
Busted in Texas…
Isn’t “Interstate flight to avoid prosecution” a Federal crime?