A former leader of a local church was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison on a charge of sexual exploitation of a child, prosecutors said Dec. 12.
Hunter Chase Eubanks, 31, of Tallahassee, had pleaded guilty in September, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Jack Heekin.
"Our children depend upon us to keep them safe from predators, like this defendant, who (sought) to sexually victimize them, and the excellent prosecutors in my office will use the full force of the law to protect the most vulnerable members of our community from exploitation," Heekin said.
According to the release, the Leon County Sheriff's Office opened a criminal investigation in October 2024 after receiving a report about Eubanks having a relationship with a 16-year-old minor who attended Morningside Church, where he served as a worship leader and directed a church music internship program.
The investigation revealed that Eubanks had sex with the minor several times, both at the church and other locations in Tallahassee. Moreover, communications between Eubanks and the minor through an iPhone app revealed he had asked for images that constitute child pornography, the release said.
Following Eubanks' arrest in December 2024, all mentions of him were scrubbed from Morningside Church's website, which had previously listed him as "a worship leader." He had served as the 9 a.m. service's worship leader since April 2020. Before that, he was in the church's youth and college ministries, according to the now deleted biography.
His prison time will be followed by 10-year term of supervised release and a requirement to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, prosecutors said. Eubanks was also ordered to pay restitution to his victim. Sentencing was before Chief U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor.
