Bertheophilus Maurice “Judge” Bailey Sr., who recently resigned as pastor of St. Andrew Christian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was arrested on Sept. 25 and charged with multiple sexual crimes. Bailey, 45, is a married father of four. The graduate of Andersonville Theological Seminary in Camila, Georgia, had served at St. Andrew for four years. Prior to that, he was pastor at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Claremore, Oklahoma, for six years.
Tulsa police said the department’s Special Victims Unit obtained a warrant this week to arrest Bailey, 45. Now being held on a $500,000 bond, the pastor faces charges of first-degree rape, child sexual abuse, incest, forcible sodomy, and first-degree burglary.
Bailey’s daughter, Harmony Oates, reported being abused—but says she’s a survivor, not a victim. She wrote a lengthy Facebook post “to warn others about [my dad’s] predatory behavior” and recently spoke on camera to 2 News Oklahoma.
Tulsa Pastor Has a Criminal Record
According to court documents, Oates alleges that her father began sexually abusing her when she was in sixth grade. “It began with the defendant praying over [her] body and touching her,” a probable-cause affidavit states. Eventually, the touching escalated to rape—and that continued after Oates moved out, married, and had a child.
The affidavit mentions several texts and emails in which Bailey allegedly admitted to the abuse. He referred to watching porn and acting out the scenes, saying that’s “what people do.” Oates told investigators she recorded a phone call with her father, who said, “The secret getting out would be a total catastrophe to the whole kingdom of God.”
Police said a report about sexual abuse was initially filed in August 2023. But at that time “the victim…was not yet ready to move forward with prosecuting the suspect.” This month, Oates indicated she wanted to press charges.
In her interview with 2 News Oklahoma, Oates said her father’s reputation as a strong community leader left her feeling powerless. “Whenever he’s your father and whenever he’s a pastor and whenever he has this authority and he has a record…you say no, but what [does] your no mean,” she said. “Think of a 13-year-old girl confused about who true love is because her dad is saying, ‘I’m your boyfriend.’”
Previously, Bailey pled guilty to child abuse by injury. In 2010, he was arrested for fondling a 13-year-old girl while working at a middle school. In 2013, he was arrested for punching his son in the face.
Daughter of Tulsa Pastor No Longer ‘In Chains’
In a Sept. 17 Facebook post, Oates came forward, saying she endured “sexual and mental abuse at the hands of my dad” for more than a decade. She wrote:
Despite his status as a respected member of the community, it is essential to shed light on his actions to prevent further harm to unsuspecting individuals. For too long, I suffered in silence, afraid of the repercussions of speaking out against someone with such influence and power. However, I have come to realize that silence only perpetuates the cycle of abuse, and it is crucial to break free from the chains of fear and shame.
Oates called herself a survivor, saying she’s “determined to heal” and not let her father “define me.” She hopes that “coming out of the darkness” will empower other survivors to come forward and seek help.
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Regarding her faith, Oates said she’s now learning about God as a Father in new ways. “I know that [God] has been guiding me through this whole journey, and I know he will come for me like a father even though my dad did not.”
