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Pastor, Church Member Offer 2 Stories At Trial

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By TODD LESKANIC, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 24, 2007

NEW PORT RICHEY - The man told jurors he awoke to his pastor straddling his body and kissing his chest.

The man's pants were pulled down, his shirt pulled up.

'It was like I couldn't do nothing,' the man testified Tuesday.

The man, 37, was a member of Pastor Ronald Smart's congregation at Union Missionary Baptist Church. Smart, 48, of Seven Springs, is on trial in Pasco-Pinellas Circuit Court, charged with misdemeanor battery.

He took the stand Tuesday and denied the allegations, saying that his accuser fabricated the allegation in an attempt to extort money from him and his church. Financial problems had plagued the man for years, according to testimony.

'You heard the testimony from the accuser and what is claiming happened,' said defense attorney Christopher Frey. 'Did any of that happen?'

'No, sir, absolutely not,' Smart replied.

Smart has been married for 27 years and has four children. He's a manager for Nielsen Media Research in addition to his work leading the small church on Pine Hill Road. But his accuser says Smart tried to take advantage of him when he fell asleep inside the pastor's home on June 10, 2006.

The Tampa Tribune is withholding the man's name because of the nature of the allegations.

That day, the two men had gone deep sea fishing with other church members. Smart drove the man to the dock in Tarpon Springs and drove him home after the eight-hour excursion.

Smart testified that he told the man he had to stop off at his house first to check on some tile work he was having done. In his testimony, the accuser said Smart forced him to go to the house even though he was tired and wanted to go home.

The men wound up sitting on a futon and talking in Smart's home office. The accuser testified that he fell asleep and found Smart on top of him when he awoke. Smart left the room after the doorbell rang, the man testified.

Smart testified that the men looked at the tile work, then sat down on the futon to talk. Neighbors from across the street then rang the doorbell to tell Smart it was raining and the top to his convertible was down. At that point, Smart said, he drove the man home.

A conversation between Smart and the man could be the most important piece of evidence the jury considers when it retires to deliberate today. Investigators with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office taped the call on June 29, 2006.

On the tape, the man confronts Smart about what happened and says he plans to go to authorities. Smart doesn't deny the allegations but doesn't admit anything.

'I just want to know, Ron, why did all this happen?' the man says. 'Why did you even do this to me? I don't even understand.'

'If you want to sit down and talk we can do that but for me, I have to move on,' Smart replies. 'I prayed over things, and I have to move on. That's part of my life. I had a conversation with you, I addressed this and I don't know what to tell you.'

In his testimony, Smart said he received the call while he was at work and had to remain diplomatic. He also testified that he chose not to be confrontational with the man because of his accuser's tendency to become emotional.

'I wanted to have a conversation with him in person and have him tell me these things to my face,' Smart said on the stand. 'Making these allegations on the phone is a coward way. Tell me to my face. Be a man. Look me in the eye and tell me that's what I did to you.'

Reporter Todd Leskanic can be reached at (727) 815-1084 or tleskanic@tampatrib.com.

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