A long-serving pastor in Tennessee has been arrested and charged with allegedly sexually abusing children.
As reported by WBIR, the Pigeon Forge Police Department said in a statement on Wednesday that they received a complaint about Dwight Daniel Suttles, 69, of Pigeon Forge in September, resulting in an investigation.
Suttles, who has been pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Pigeon Forge, is facing trial on an indictment alleging he sexually abused five children over the course of several years in Pigeon Forge.
A Sevier County grand jury returned the presentment earlier this week. Suttles was brought in Tuesday night for booking and remained in the Sevier County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bond as of Wednesday, records show.
Suttles Accused of Sexually Battering Five Child Victims Between 2017 and 2023
The six-count indictment charges him with rape of a child and five counts of aggravated sexual battery. The document references five victims, all identified by initials. All were under age 13 at the time of the crimes, according to the indictment.
According to the document, Suttles battered two of the children over a two-year period from 2017 to 2019. He had "sexual contact" with another between November 2018 and November 2021, and another between June 2018 and June 2021. Another victim was abused in a period between August 2018 and September 2023, authorities allege.
Access to a church biography of Suttles has been removed from the church's website. It stated he had attended the church since his early 20s. According to the biography, he became pastor in 2009.
