Aaron Williams Jr., a pastor and community leader in Richland County, Ohio, pleaded not guilty on Thursday (Sept. 4) to a misdemeanor charge of public indecency. According to a police report, the 56-year-old pastor of Maddox Memorial Church of God in Christ in Mansfield, Ohio, was found committing a sex act with a woman in a vehicle at a public park.
Williams, a married father of three adult daughters, will be arraigned in Mansfield Municipal Court on Sept. 9.
A police chief who was patrolling Clearfork Reservoir on the afternoon of Aug. 30 spotted two people in the back seat of a vehicle parked in a picnic area. An unnamed woman, 46, also was charged with public indecency.
Ohio Pastor Mentors Youth, Ran for Public Office
Pastor Aaron Williams Jr., a Gulf War veteran, is active in the Richland County community. According to his online bio, Williams has served on numerous local boards and has “dedicated over a decade to Mansfield City Schools, mentoring young people and fostering positive change.”
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Williams is currently the youth department president of the Ohio North First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC).
During an unsuccessful run for Richland County Commissioner last fall, Williams campaigned on an anti-gun-violence platform. The pastor, who ran against the Republican incumbent, was billed as “a pillar of the Mansfield community who has worked tirelessly through his ministry to make everyone he meets thrive.”
Then-candidate Williams said, “The future is not in our buildings and structures; our future is in building up our young people.”
Williams explained that he was inspired to run for public office after speaking at the Democratic Women’s Caucus in May 2023. In that address, the pastor talked about the local problem of gun violence, especially among youth.
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