LAKELAND, Fla. — The Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested a 69-year-old youth group leader from Wyoming and charged him with molesting a young girl.
Richard Shaw, a worship leader at Under Command Ministries in Riverton, Wyo., reportedly also worked as a youth minister and, as PCSO detectives later learned, was affiliated with other churches in that region.
According to a statement from the PCSO, Shaw visited Lakeland in December. After he went back to Wyoming, a girl younger than 12 years old told her mother that Shaw had touched her inappropriately both under and over her clothing while he was there.
The mother called Shaw, who admitted to her that he had touched her child. He later told detectives that he's addicted to pornography and 'gave in to temptation' when he touched the girl.
Shaw was arrested by Riverton police and held in Wyoming. He will be extradited to Polk County later. Law enforcement in both Polk County and in Wyoming are investigating whether Shaw victimized any other children.
Editor's note: The Polk County Sheriff's Office no longer is calling Shaw a "pastor." This story has been updated.