MARATHON, Fla. (Court TV) — A Florida pastor is accused of sexually assaulting a teenager after giving them alcohol.
Monte Chitty, who is the pastor at the First Baptist Church in Marathon, is charged with sexual assault and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to a news release.
FILE – Monte Chitty (Monroe County Sheriff’s Office)
Authorities say the 62-year-old was arrested after a 911 caller overheard a 15-year-old girl telling another adult she had been assaulted. While the caller was reporting the incident, Chitty also called authorities to say “he was about to be accused of something and wanted to get ahead of it.”
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office tracked the teen to the boat where she lived. The girl told deputies that Chitty gave her alcohol, which she thought was “spiked.” She said she “immediately began to feel weak and lost consciousness” and woke up to “Chitty sexually molesting her.”
Chitty claimed the girl had been drinking at the church, and he helped her to a couch a to lie down. He claimed he didn’t touch her after that.
Text messages between Chitty and the teen allegedly show Chitty making a “reference to having sexual relations with the girl while she was impaired.”
Chitty was booked into the Monroe County Detention Center. Authorities said he was also a registered volunteer pastor with the sheriff’s office, but has not performed any services for the office.
