A Mississippi judge found a former pastor at a popular Southern Baptist youth camp guilty Sept. 14 on 13 counts of video voyeurism.
A sentencing hearing for Olive Branch, Miss., evangelist Sammy Nuckolls followed the ruling by DeSoto County circuit judge Gerald Chatham and was set to continue into the afternoon. Two of 11 prosecution witnesses said they first met Nuckolls, whom they considered a close friend, when he was camp pastor at Centrifuge camps sponsored by LifeWay Christian Resources.
Amy Butler, a student at Baylor University’ Truett Theological Seminary, said being victimized by Nuckolls has caused her to have second thoughts about going into ministry. “Before this I thought I would be a pastor of some kind,” she said. “I would help people.”
Since Nuckolls’ arrest last October, she said, “I can’t look at people and trust them anymore.”
Nuckolls entered guilty pleas in two other cases where he allegedly videotaped women with concealed cameras in the bathrooms of their homes, but has so far escaped a prison sentence. He now faces sentencing for additional crimes committed in his own home.
Brittany Prather, 25, said she first met Nuckolls nine years ago when he was camp pastor at Centrifuge and she visited his home afterward. She said Nuckolls secretly videotaped her during a visit where he gave her husband advice on their marriage.
“My husband could have been in the next room,” she said. “I’ve never been so deceived by anybody.”
“I’ve never felt so betrayed before.”
(ABP)
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