A former youth ministry volunteer at Second Baptist Church Houston has been arrested for possession of child sex abuse material (CSAM). An investigation into Carter Thomas, 27, began in August after authorities received a tip that he had admitted to “struggling with viewing child pornography online.”
Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of child sex abuse that some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.
Second Baptist Houston is an influential multisite megachurch that is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). The church is currently led by Pastor Ben Young, son of longtime Second Baptist Pastor H. Edwin Young Sr.
Thomas had been serving as a volunteer for the church’s youth ministry. In a statement to the Houston Chronicle, the church indicated that Thomas was not a pastor on staff.
Thomas was reportedly no longer volunteering for the church by the time the investigation into his online activities was underway.
Authorities seized Thomas’ devices and found 23 images of CSAM. Included in the images were pictures of nude children under the age of 17. Forensic analysis revealed that 14 of the images had previously been identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as CSAM.
The web browsing history on Thomas’ devices was consistent with the CSAM found on the devices.
When Harris County Sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant on Thomas’ home, they reportedly spoke with a family member who indicated that Thomas had confided in them that he struggled with viewing “that kind of material.”
Thomas has been charged with one count of possession of CSAM.
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In a statement, Second Baptist Houston said, “When we became aware of this situation, the authorities were contacted immediately, and we continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement.”
