A former pastor has received the maximum prison sentence after being convicted in a child sex abuse case. On Wednesday, a judge handed down a 20-year sentence to Danny Pitts, formerly of GracePoint Church in Decatur, Alabama, after Pitts was found guilty of second degree sodomy.
Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of child sex abuse that some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.
Pitts’ conviction stems from allegations that were first investigated in 2007.
The abuse is said to have occurred at Pitts’ home when the victim was between 12 and 13 years old. Pitts was providing a counseling session for the victim, and the victim said that Pitts began masturbating during the session before having anal sex with the victim.
While the crime was reported shortly after it occurred, the case went cold for years.
RELATED: Trial of Alabama Pastor Accused of Child Sex Abuse Underway Following 2-Year Delay
When the case was revisited in 2021, Pitts was arrested and charged with one count of first degree sodomy and one count of second degree sodomy. During his trial, Pitts was found not guilty of first degree sodomy while being convicted of second degree sodomy.
According to WHNT, Pitts still faces four other sex-related charges stemming from a separate investigation in Tennessee. Those charges include one count of statutory rape, two counts of sexual battery by an authority figure, and one count of statutory rape by an authority figure.
“It’s about time that we got the justice that we all deserve,” Pitts’ victim told WAAY following Pitts’ conviction. Referencing the trial, he added, “It has been singlehandedly the hardest thing I’ve done in my entire life.”
