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Pastor Urges Congregation To Have Faith Following Member's Arrest

John Winterrowd/News Channel 8

Congregants listen to the sermon at the First Baptist Church at the Mall.

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By JASON GEARY | The Tampa Tribune
and JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune
and BILLY TOWNSEND | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 4, 2007

Updated: 11/04/2007 12:20 pm

LAKELAND In his sermon this morning, Pastor Jay Dennis urged members of First Baptist Church at the Mall to trust God in the face of troubling storms.

"Be ready for Satan," the Lakeland minister said. "He wears many masks and costumes."

After two weeks of investigation, Lakeland police arrested church member Marshal Seymour, accusing him of sex offenses involving three boys he mentored at the church.

Seymour, a 40-year-old student ministry volunteer at the church, turned himself in Friday night after Lakeland police issued a warrant.

Dennis spoke publicly to congregants for the first time at this morning's services about the arrest, reading a statement about Seymour and focusing his sermon on getting through troubling times.

In his statement, Dennis said Seymour had deceived him personally and the church.

Several people questioned whether he should speak publicly about what had happened, but Dennis told congregants that being open was important.

Seymour met his victims through the church and paid them to perform sex acts or to keep quiet about sexual encounters, Lakeland police said. The boys were 15, 16 and 17 at the time of the incidents, which occurred during the past two years, according to arrest documents.

Seymour is charged with three counts of using a child in sexual performance and one count each of unlawful sexual activity and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

He was in Polk County Jail on Sunday with bail set at $325,000.

The allegations against Seymour have rocked First Baptist, which has about 9,000 members and is one of Polk County's flagship churches.

None of the incidents occurred on church property, police said; they occurred at local hotels, Seymour's place of business or in his vehicle.

Saturday afternoon, Dennis read the same statement to local media outlets, expressing sorrow for the victims and their families, as well as for Seymour's family and friends. Seymour is married with a young child.

Church officials described Seymour as an implicitly trusted, valuable member of the congregation. Dennis noted that his own son had once worked for Seymour, who owns a fire extinguisher service business and often employed young people from the church.

Officials would not say whether Dennis' son had been interviewed in the investigation.

A Troubled History

The Lakeland police investigation revealed that Seymour had been arrested on felony sex charges in Mobile County, Ala., in 1998. The circumstances were similar, with Seymour accused of victimizing a boy he met at church, Lakeland police said.

However, the charges were reduced to misdemeanor assault, and Seymour was sentenced to a suspended one-year sentence in 1999, police said. That's the same year he came to Lakeland and First Baptist Church at the Mall.

He soon became a trusted volunteer, one of about 1,000 at the church. Church officials said he was well-liked by the students he mentored and other members of the congregation.

Tim Parcheta, the church's executive director, said that First Baptist performs criminal background checks on all volunteer applicants.

"No arrests or convictions showed up," he said.

He and Dennis described the investigation as a humbling experience. They said security policies would be reviewed, including background screening.

"There will be a new normal for us," Dennis said. "The church has also been harmed by this situation. This is a Category 5 storm for us. Our church is a great church, but today we mourn the fact that innocent people have been profoundly wounded."

A Painful Two Weeks

Sgt. Gary Gross said the investigation began two weeks ago, when the oldest victim, now 19, reported an encounter with Seymour at Lakeland's Safar Inn hotel.

Asked what prompted the young man to come forward, Gross said it appeared that incident and subsequent encounters with Seymour had bothered the young man.

After the incident at the Safar Inn, the young man told police Seymour offered him $400 not to talk about what happened, adding that "no one would believe him" if he told, according to the arrest report.

"I think [the victim] just wanted to get it off his chest," Gross said.

The ensuing investigation identified two more potential victims, and Seymour confirmed the various sex acts in several interviews he gave to police, according to the arrest affidavits.

Through Parcheta, who took questions from reporters, Dennis said he has not yet met personally with the victims' families, not wanting to jeopardize the police investigation. But he indicated he will reach out to them.

Parcheta noted that the congregation is concerned about protecting Seymour's wife and child and making sure they know "they are among friends."

"When a tragedy like this happens, no one wins," Dennis said.

Reporter Billy Townsend can be reached at (863) 284-1409 or wtownsend@tampatrib.com.

Reporter Jason Geary can be reached at (813) 865-1505 or jgeary@tampatrib.com.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at (813) 259-7691 or jpoltilove@tampatrib.com.

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