Pastor did exorcism on toddler and used meth with church members, Arkansas cops say

Pastor did exorcism on toddler and used meth with church members, Arkansas cops say

A child abuse investigation involving a pastor in central Arkansas led to drug charges after police discovered he was using meth at church with his parishioners, according to court filings.

Lloyd Eddie Lasker Jr., 49, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a gun by a convicted felon after police found him at a gas station in Mayflower on Sept. 22 with meth, the Conway Police Department said in an affidavit filed in Faulkner County Circuit Court.

Mayflower is a town of less than 2,000 people about 30 minutes north of Little Rock, according to the latest U.S. Census records.

The House of Refuge and Deliverance Ministries church, where Lasker is the pastor, is on a rural stretch of highway within the town’s city limits.

According to an affidavit filed by the Conway Police Department, it all began with a welfare check on Sept. 18 for the toddler, who was subsequently found at the church “with multiple bruises from head to toe” and clearly malnourished.

The mother reportedly told police the child was “possessed by a demon,” and Lasker echoed that when tracked down by police four days later, saying he “tried to exorcise the demon” but offering no further explanation.

Police say Lasker was also caught in possession of meth and went on to admit to using “meth in the church several times” with church members, including with the child’s mother.

Source:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/arkansas-pastor-in-attempted-exorcism-of-toddler-used-meth-with-church-members-cops-say

Source:
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article246095805.html

Source:
https://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/national/article246095805.html