TULSA, Okla. — Former Tulsa youth pastor Joseph Lyle Campbell is charged with rape of a minor 40 years after the alleged crime occurred.
A multi-county grand jury indicted Campbell, 68, on Dec. 17.
WATCH: 40 Years Later: Former Tulsa youth pastor indicted for rape
He's charged with one count of first-degree rape and one count of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16.
The indictment alleges the crimes happened in 1984 when Campbell was a youth pastor at the Eastland Assembly of God Church.
Campbell allegedly raped a girl who was 11 or 12 at the time in the garage of his home. He is also accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl at the church the same year, according to court documents.
“The crimes alleged in the indictment are horrific,” Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a news release. “There can be no tolerance for child sex predators, particularly adults who exploit their positions of authority and the faith of their victims. My office will vigorously work to ensure justice is served for the women who have carried this trauma for decades.”
Campbell is most recently known to be a pastor at Morningside Church in Blue Eye, Mo. His alleged victims were featured in an NBC News Digital Docs program in May, called The Children's Pastor, in which they reunited with each other in Tulsa to call for justice.
Current Eastland Assembly senior pastor Randall Dyer told 2 News on Dec. 17 that Campbell was several years removed from the church by the time he arrived in 1993.
"I kind of heard a few rumors, but I didn't know any details," Dyer said. "And I didn't know to what extent the allegations were until the NBC national news broke with a story several months ago. It was really devastating to me, my family and our church members because most of them did not know. Well, I probably could safely say none of them knew what the allegations would be."
Dyer said the church also had no records or photos he had ever seen of the accused child rapist, but he did already know one of the alleged victims.
"I called her I believe that evening, and arranged for my wife and I to come visit her and her husband," he said, "And the next day we went to her house."
Dyer told 2 News on Dec. 17 the NBC News crew contacted the church only by a since-defunct email address and otherwise didn't give the church a chance to respond to the investigation. Dyer also said he previously communicated his lack of knowledge of the allegations to prosecutors from the Office of the Attorney General.
The U.S. Marshals Service announced its Northern Oklahoma Violent Crimes Task Force arrested Campbell Dec. 17 in Elkland, Mo., northeast of Springfield.
“It is our sincere hope that the arrest of Pastor Campbell will help bring closure to the victims in this case who have been victimized over decades,” said Clayton Johnson, U.S. Marshal for the northern District Oklahoma in a press release.
Dyer said his church and all affiliated Pentecostal churches conduct vetting and background checks on any staff hired, but he cannot speak to how the church was managed in the time before he arrived.
"I'm so sorry that this happened even though it was so long ago," Dyer said during the 2 News interview. "Evidently, these women (who are) ladies now, young girls then, have carried these scars and these hurts for all these years. And we apologize."
Numerous support resources are available to Oklahomans who have been victims to heinous crimes like sexual abuse. Domestic Violence Intervention Services (DVIS) has trained sexual assault advocates available 24/7 to assist survivors. Call (918) 743-5763 to speak with an advocate. DVIS also offers free counseling to sexual assault survivors, as well as resources for safe shelter and assistance with protective orders.
The Family Safety Center is in the same building as the Tulsa Police Department's Special Victims Unit and can assist with SANE exams, protective orders, and other resources. They can be reached at (918) 742-7480.
Tulsa Police Victim Services Unit works with individuals whose lives have been impacted by crimes. Their personnel can be reached at (918) 596-9165 or victimservices@cityoftulsa.org.
Other websites with support include Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (www.RAINN.org) and National Sexual Violence Resource Center (www.nsvrc.org).
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