Oklahoma youth pastor charged with child sexual abuse

Andrew Paul Benton, 27, a youth pastor at Grace Chapel Pentecostal Church in Duncan, Oklahoma, has been charged with two felony counts of child sexual abuse, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) and court records reported by The Roys Report. FOX23 reported that he also served as youth president of the Assembly of Our Lord Jesus Christ (ALJC).

The OSBI said the Duncan Police Department asked it in March 2026 to investigate possible child sexual abuse. Agents sent their report to the Stephens County District Court on Aug. 28, and an arrest warrant was issued on Oct. 6, FOX23 reported. Benton turned himself in on Thursday, Oct. 8. Bond was set at $100,000, and he was ordered to have no contact with minors. Court records show he was released on bond, The Roys Report said.

According to the charging document described by The Roys Report, one count alleges abuse of a girl in the church's youth group between March 2025 and February 2026. The other alleges abuse of a girl who was his foster child between July 2024 and March 2026. Each count carries a possible sentence of up to life in prison.

An arrest-warrant affidavit filed by an OSBI agent says that a youth-group member and her father had earlier complained to the church's head pastor about Benton's conduct, and that no action was taken, The Roys Report reported. Those are allegations in a police document and have not been tested in court. The affidavit lists further possible offenses that are not among the two filed charges.

Benton has not been convicted. No statement from Grace Chapel Pentecostal Church or the ALJC had been reported as of Oct. 10, and no court date has been published.