A Kosciusko county pastor faces charges of sexual battery and misconduct with a disabled 14-year old girl.
Robert Haywood is the pastor at Harvest Time Ministries Church near Wooster.
His neighbors are stunned.
Warsaw police say Haywood inappropriately touched and had sex with the physically and mentally disabled girl in June.
And now the neighbors who live near the church are surprised to hear what happened so close to home.
Warsaw police detectives arrested Haywood at his Warsaw home this morning.
Haywood is the pastor of Harvest Time Ministries Church on Pierceton road, just east of Warsaw near Wooster.
Police say Haywood inappropriately touched a mentally and physically disabled 14-year-old girl- several times this past June in the church's basement- and also had sex with the girl in a wooded area near Warsaw.
Neighbors say they're surprised this could happen at the quiet church down the road.
"I think it's kind of surprising. I've never heard anything about that church," one neighbor said.
Tom Stump lives with his children, and grandchildren, behind the church.
He says his family donated the land to build a church years ago,
and says a lot of churches have used the building over the years- None of them causing any problems until now.
"I was just unbelievably surprised. It's like I hadn't heard anything about it, but I didn't realize what church it was now," Tom Stump says.
Stephanie Stump used to let her kids run around outside near the church worry-free, until now.
"It's awful. I just can't even believe it. I didn't even hear about it so, it's awful," she says.
Haywood is held at the Kosciusko county jail.
He faces two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, and sexual battery, all felonies.
Investigators have been working on the case since June, and made the arrest this morning.
A neighbor told me that the building has housed many churches in the past fifteen years, sometimes two or three at the same time.
He says he isn't sure how much longer Harvest Time Ministries will still be there.
Robert Haywood is the pastor at Harvest Time Ministries Church near Wooster.
His neighbors are stunned.
Warsaw police say Haywood inappropriately touched and had sex with the physically and mentally disabled girl in June.
And now the neighbors who live near the church are surprised to hear what happened so close to home.
Warsaw police detectives arrested Haywood at his Warsaw home this morning.
Haywood is the pastor of Harvest Time Ministries Church on Pierceton road, just east of Warsaw near Wooster.
Police say Haywood inappropriately touched a mentally and physically disabled 14-year-old girl- several times this past June in the church's basement- and also had sex with the girl in a wooded area near Warsaw.
Neighbors say they're surprised this could happen at the quiet church down the road.
"I think it's kind of surprising. I've never heard anything about that church," one neighbor said.
Tom Stump lives with his children, and grandchildren, behind the church.
He says his family donated the land to build a church years ago,
and says a lot of churches have used the building over the years- None of them causing any problems until now.
"I was just unbelievably surprised. It's like I hadn't heard anything about it, but I didn't realize what church it was now," Tom Stump says.
Stephanie Stump used to let her kids run around outside near the church worry-free, until now.
"It's awful. I just can't even believe it. I didn't even hear about it so, it's awful," she says.
Haywood is held at the Kosciusko county jail.
He faces two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, and sexual battery, all felonies.
Investigators have been working on the case since June, and made the arrest this morning.
A neighbor told me that the building has housed many churches in the past fifteen years, sometimes two or three at the same time.
He says he isn't sure how much longer Harvest Time Ministries will still be there.
