A Marathon pastor is facing serious charges after being accused of giving a teenager alcohol and sexually battering her while she was passed out on a couch in his church’s library.
Monte Chitty, 62, a pastor at First Baptist Church, faces charges of sexual battery, lewd and lascivious behavior, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to jail records from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. He was arrested Monday and released on a $75,000 bond.
Deputies were Tipped Off by Someone Who Overheard Victim Telling Her Grandmother About the Abuse
Chitty is the pastor of First Baptist Marathon, located at 200 62nd St. The arrest report, obtained by Local 10 News, states he also lives on the church property. The alleged assault happened on Sunday, March 3. Deputies said they were first alerted to it after someone overheard the victim telling her grandmother what happened.
Chitty, deputies said, called the sheriff’s office about an hour later because he believed the girl “was going to make allegations against him.” He claimed, according to the report, that he “intended to take (the girl) home to her grandmother while delivering meals to the homeless” and, seeing she was drunk, had allowed her to sleep on the couch.
The report states he told deputies the girl left while he was taking a phone call that afternoon and said that “while doing deliveries at the Marathon City Marina, he observed (the victim) with her grandmother and walked towards them, at which point (the girl) began to scream, and (he) left.”
Victim Claims Chitty ‘Spiked’ Her Drink, Woke Up to Him Performing Oral Sex on Her
The girl, however, told deputies that Chitty had given her what she believed was a “spiked” drink, the report states. “She stated that after drinking what she thought to be vodka, she felt weak, could not walk and eventually lost consciousness while at the church,” deputies wrote in the report.
Authorities said she woke up to Chitty performing oral sex on her. “She stated after he was done and left, she got up and ran out and contacted her grandmother to pick her up,” deputies wrote in the report.
‘I Prefer You Pass Out After I Play,’ Chitty Texted the Victim, Complimented Her Genitals
According to the report, Chitty texted the teen after the alleged abuse, using the same number he used to call the sheriff’s office.
In the text messages, using a cat emoji, Chitty first complimented the girl’s genitals.
“I prefer you pass out after I play not before,” deputies say the pastor then texted her. “You can’t even remember what I did.”
He later probed her on what she recollected and described what he did to her, deputies said.
After telling the girl how he abused her, Chitty complimented her genitals again. After she replied “ig,” short for “I guess,” deputies said Chitty replied, “Just say thank you.”
According to the report, he went on to compliment the teen’s breasts and encouraged her to sit on the couch in a way to make it “easier” to perform oral sex on her.
Deputies said Chitty later provided them consent to search his phone. They said his text messages matched those on the victim’s phone and said the messages also showed him admitting to giving her vodka.
“Mr. Chitty admitted to sending the text messages but later invoked his right to an attorney and denied the sexual contact,” deputies wrote in the report.
