The associate pastor at a Coppell church faces charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child, police say.
Jason Thomas is the associate pastor of worship at Valley Ranch Baptist Church in Coppell, according to the Mesquite Police Department.
Mesquite police said they received a delayed report of the aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of 14.
Thomas, who is now 40, was arrested Monday without incident at his home, police said.
A woman who identified herself as Anna Thomas, the suspect's mother, told NBC 5 that the incident allegedly took place in 1995.
Anyone with information about any other offenses that involve Thomas is asked to call Mesquite police at 972-285-6336 or Investigator T. Rountree at 972-329-8303.
Valley Ranch Baptist Church issued the following statement Monday night.
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We received word on the afternoon of February 10, 2020 from the Mesquite Police Department that Jason Thomas, our Associate Minister of Worship, was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child. He has served at VRBC since September 2005 and is currently suspended pending the results of this investigation.
We are not aware of any victims who are current or former members or attenders of VRBC or the Valley Ranch Baptist Weekday Preschool.
We are cooperating fully with the Mesquite Police Department in their investigation. If you have any information that could be helpful to the police in this matter, we encourage you to contact the Mesquite Police Department directly at 972-329-8303.
Our church is fully committed to the safety of our congregation and community – especially our children.
Like you, our hearts are breaking for everyone involved in this situation. Please be in prayer.
Pastor Larry Parsley and the Church Council