An 82-year-old Caddo County pastor is in jail after being accused of molesting a 7-year-old girl nearly every Sunday for the past two years.
The child's grandmother says that Milton Toehay, pastor of the Washita Full Grace Church, was not only her minister, but also a family friend whom she has known "her whole life." When the pastor asked for her grandchildren's help cleaning his office after Sunday services, she thought nothing of it.
After a while, when she went to check on her grandchildren, she allegedly saw that Toehay and the 7-year-old girl were not with the other children, who told her that "Brother Milton" and the girl had gone to his office.
The grandmother told police that she walked into the office to find Toehay sitting at a chair with the girl between him and the desk. She said she heard him tell the girl, "Hurry up, hurry up." As she approached, she allegedly noticed the child's shorts and underwear pulled down to her thighs. She says the pastor said, "I'm sorry," before she took her grandchild from the office and headed to the Anadarko hospital, where police were summoned.
Reports say Toehay gave various conflicting explanations of what actually transpired in his office. In one account, he explained the girl's pants being pulled down by saying she started to fall, and as she fell, she caught her pants on a trash can, which is not a very compelling or believable story.
Remember, if you are ever questioned about possible involvement in a crime, it is vitally important to protect your right to remain silent. Insist upon an attorney and refuse to answer any questions without legal counsel.
Police interviewed the child, who said that it was not the first time the man touched her inappropriately. In fact, she told them that he had done so every Sunday since she was 5 years old. Now, because of the man's occupation and position of trust, police are concerned that he may have had inappropriate sexual contact with other children over the years.
Currently, Toehay is charged with 10 counts of lewd acts with a child under 16, a felony sex crime. He is held in the Caddo County Jail in lieu of $300,000 bond.
Lewd acts with a minor is a Level 3 sex offense that mandates lifetime sex offender registration. The prison sentence associated with lewd acts depends upon the age of the child involved. Under Oklahoma law, in 21 O.S. § 1123 lewd acts with a child under 16 is punishable by 3 to 20 years in prison unless the child is under the age of 12.If the child involved is age 11 or younger, conviction brings a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
