Witten added that because of “the sensitive nature of this situation,” the church would not livestream its Sunday services.
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Richards is being held on a $5 million bond. Investigators are not looking for any additional suspects at this time.
“The Crossroads Christian Church family is shocked, sickened, and saddened by Saturday morning’s events involving our former children’s pastor,” the church said in a statement on Monday. “This is a tragedy beyond what any of us could have imagined. We give our full cooperation and support to the Shawnee Police Department and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department as they conduct their investigation.”
“We are offering support and resources to the members of the Richards family who were victimized and their extended family. The road to recovery will be long – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually,” the statement continued. “Please respect their privacy as they walk this incredibly challenging and painful road. Please join us as we continue to pray for and stand with them.
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“We also ask for your respect and prayers for the many children and families affected by this incident. We are all grieving with our dear friends who are deeply hurting in so many ways,” the statement concluded. “Crossroads Christian Church will offer grief counseling for children and families in the coming days and weeks.”
This article has been updated to include a statement from Crossroads Christian Church.
