Pastor arrested on sex charge

PDF: Hughes Sex Offender Registry

A convicted sex offender found himself in legal trouble Sunday after police said he returned to the altar of a church where he sexually assaulted a young boy in 2005.

Edward Hughes' arrest came after police had strictly forbidden him from leading a church, coming in contact with juveniles or obtaining employment near a school, said Lt. Kim Noorbergen, police spokeswoman.

Neighbors said Mr. Hughes, 66, returned to the pulpit at Bethlehem Evangelistic Mission in East Lake sometime after the first of the year.

Police have charged Mr. Hughes with two counts of violating the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry. Jail records indicated he had been released on bond by Monday afternoon.

He was accused of raping a young boy in 2005 and later pleaded guilty to sexual battery by an authority figure, Lt. Noorbergen said. The incident took place in the same building where Bethlehem Evangelistic Mission is now, police said.

Mr. Hughes could not be reached for comment Monday. There was no telephone listing for the church or for Mr. Hughes in Pikeville., Tenn.

His return to the East 39th Street facility alarmed neighbors, who were all too familiar with Mr. Hughes' past at the small, wood-framed church.

"I've been handing out fliers, telling neighbors and talking to the officers at the schools about him," said Earl Teague, who lives two blocks from the church. "He's a pastor, but he's got no business ministering to young people."

But police say that's exactly what he was doing, and it was against the law.

"According to investigators, Mr. Hughes owned and operated the church, and was portraying himself to be the pastor of this church and holding services at this location on Saturdays at 6:30 p.m.," Lt. Noorbergen said.

Mr. Hughes, who lives in Pikeville, according to Tennessee Sex Offender Registry, was warned by Bledsoe County Sheriff's Office deputies that state law barred him from his previous line of work.

And, since Bethlehem Evangelistic Mission is less than 1,000 feet from East Lake Elementary School, he couldn't work there anyway, Lt. Noorbergen said.

Mr. Hughes had apparently connected the church to a gas-powered generator for electricity. Mr. Teague said he didn't think the church had working toilets or running water.

Neighbors said they began noticing more activity at the small, windowless, church over the last three weeks. About a dozen people had been attending services, neighbors said.

"It's always been abandoned, as far as I could tell," said Aaron Ashford, who was pushing his daughter in a stroller Monday afternoon. "I saw some people over there and could tell it was running again."

One neighbor said the church's return to activity alarmed him.

"He's a known pedophile and he really doesn't need to be operating a church around the children," said John Bishop, whose home is next to the church's property.

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