Six women have filed a lawsuit accusing an Arkansas church and leaders within the Assemblies of God denomination of ignoring repeated warnings about a children’s pastor who later pleaded guilty to sexually abusing girls and secretly filming children.
The lawsuit, filed May 20 in Craighead County Circuit Court, alleges that leaders at Refuge Church in Jonesboro, formerly known as Jonesboro First Assembly of God, failed for years to act on reports involving longtime children’s pastor Tony Waller. The complaint also names regional and national Assemblies of God leaders as defendants.
“The lawsuit alleges that the Assemblies of God enabled children’s minister Anthony ‘Tony’ Waller to sexually exploit, molest and secretly film numerous young girls over the course of approximately 15 years despite repeated warnings and allegations that he posed a danger to children,” the lawsuit notes.
According to the lawsuit, girls and their families repeatedly raised concerns about Waller beginning in 2000, including allegations involving hidden cameras, inappropriate touching and incidents in which girls were allegedly told to undress during church activities.
One plaintiff, Stephanie Davis, alleges she and other girls discovered a hidden camera pointed into a church bathroom around 2004 after Waller allegedly instructed girls participating in church activities to strip naked and perform stretches. Davis also alleges Waller once gave her a drink that made her feel woozy before she contacted her mother.
The lawsuit alleges church leaders removed the hidden camera, suspended Waller for several weeks and later restored him to ministry, where he continued working with children.
“They did nothing about it,” Davis told NBC News. “Absolutely nothing.”
Additional allegations surfaced over the following years, including claims that Waller secretly recorded girls while they undressed and groomed and molested children at the church.
The abuse came to light in 2015 after Waller’s wife reportedly discovered images of naked children on his computer and contacted authorities. Investigators later found hidden-camera videos recorded inside the church bathroom and elsewhere, according to police records cited in the lawsuit.
Waller pleaded guilty in 2016 to raping two girls and was sentenced to life in prison.
The lawsuit follows a broader NBC News investigation into sexual abuse allegations within the Assemblies of God denomination. That reporting documented allegations against roughly 200 pastors, church employees and volunteer leaders accused of sexual abuse over the past five decades.
In a statement included in the report, the General Council of the Assemblies of God said it did not become aware of allegations against Waller until 2015 and said he was promptly reported to authorities and stripped of his ministerial credentials. The denomination said its actions were consistent with its longstanding “zero-tolerance policy.”
Refuge Church did not respond to requests for comment, according to the report. Former senior pastor Mike Glover, who is named in the lawsuit, denied allegations of negligence through his attorney and previously disputed claims that church leaders were informed about sexual misconduct or hidden cameras.
There have been other recent abuse allegations involving prominent church leaders in Arkansas.
Earlier this year, Assemblies of God Executive Presbyter and North Little Rock pastor Rod Loy denied allegations in a separate lawsuit filed by Suzanne Lander, the wife of a former pastor under his leadership.
In that lawsuit, Lander accused Loy of sexually abusing her for two decades, beginning when she was 16 years old and attending First Assembly of God in North Little Rock. The church said it conducted an outside investigation and found no evidence to substantiate the allegations, while Loy has denied wrongdoing.
Last year, Ignite Life Center and the Florida Multicultural District of the Assemblies of God were sued for allegedly failing to protect children from abuse at a congregation-sponsored summer camp.
