Do you remember Kenneth Adkins? He’s a pastor from Brunswick, Georgia who launched an attack against LGBT people after the massacre at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The shooting happened on June 12th, and on June 14th, Adkins tweeted,
“been through so much with these Jacksonville homosexuals that I don’t see none of them as victims. I see them as getting what they deserve!!”
Adkins claimed that this tweet did not reference the victims of the Orlando shooting. However, Jackson tweeted this within hours of tweeting several other statements which obviously were about the Orlando shooting. One of those tweets was,
“Dear Gays, Go sit down somewhere. I know y’all want some special attention; yall are Sinners who need Jesus. This was an attack on America.”
Adkins made his Twitter account private and disappeared from the news for two months. But now he’s back, and he’s under arrest for child molestation.
According to a local Florida news outlet, Adkins turned himself in voluntarily following an investigation by the Brunswick Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Authorities suspected Adkins of molesting children at multiple locations, including his church and a victim’s home. Police have yet to release any information on when the alleged molestation incidents occurred and how old the alleged child abuse victim was at the time.
Adkins’ wife said the boy who accused her husband of child abuse “is a deeply troubled young man,” and that she and her husband are confident that he will be acquitted of all charges.
Adkins’ church has branches in Jacksonville and Atlanta, in addition to Adkins’ home of Brunswick. Because his church has locations in Jacksonville, Adkins has been active in Jacksonville politics.
Adkins adamantly opposed expanding a Jacksonville anti-discrimination law to provide protections to gay and transgender people. Adkins argued expanding the law would allow sexual predators to more easily find victims in bathrooms.
Adkins attorney, Kevin Gough, insinuated that the charges against Adkins could be politically motivated.
Image via Jacksonville.com.
