Pastor Gabriel Hardy, 42, who is with Army of the Lord — Ministry of Defense church in Vancouver, Washington, has been arrested for allegedly whipping a 6-year-old child with a belt hard enough to leave bruises and welts on the child’s body. A report from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) states that Hardy claimed to be ordained by God to administer corporal punishment to children.
“SVU [Special Victims Unit] investigated this case and learned from witnesses that Hardy openly preached about corporal punishment of young children and professed that he was divinely ordained to chastise children,” said CCSO in a statement Feb. 21. “Hardy admitted to the child’s mother that he had whipped the child with a belt to discipline the child.”
Clark County Sheriff’s Office Arrests Army of the Lord Pastor
According to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, the child’s mother contacted CCSO on Feb. 17 about “potential child abuse” that allegedly took place at Army of the Lord — Ministry of Defense, which is located in a residence in Hazel Dell.
The mother said that because she was unable to attend a church service on Sunday, Feb. 16, a friend of hers took her child to church. The mother asked her friend to ask Hardy to talk to the child about “recent disrespectful behavior.”
“The child returned home after the service with bruising and welts across their lower back, hips, and buttocks,” said CCSO. “The child told the mother that Hardy had whipped them with a belt approximately 12 times.”
CCSO requested help from SVU, after which investigators learned of Hardy’s view of corporal punishment. The Major Crimes Unit (MCU) and the Tactical Detective Unit (TDU) assisted SVU with executing a search warrant at the residence on Feb. 20.
“Hardy was not present at the time of the search warrant, but evidence of the crime of Assault of a Child was located inside the residence and seized pursuant to the search warrant,” said CCSO. “Hardy was contacted by detectives later in the day and admitted he struck the child in this case with a belt.”
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