Olive Branch Southern Baptist Evangelist Charged with Video Voyeurism

On Twitter Sammy Nuckolls listed his occupation as "itinerant pastor." Perhaps "professional peeping Tom" would have been more appropriate.

Now his Twitter account is gone... GONE!, just like all references to him on Lifeway's FUGE blog. (Articles on Nuckolls from 2-1-11 and 10-10-11 are still visible in Google Reader.) No public statement by Lifeway, just a clean sweep, much like we saw last year when Ergun Caner was caught... embellishing.

Last week Nuckolls was taken into custody by the Gosnell, Arkansas police after a woman whose family's home in which he was a guest while he conducted a revival at a local church discovered Nuckolls had used a "spy pen" to videotape her in her own bathroom. She retrieved the pen and turned it over to the police who questioned Nuckolls and transported him to the Mississippi County jail where he was booked on charges of video voyeurism. According to the Blytheville Courier News Nuckolls confessed to the crime in Gosnell and also admitted doing the same thing to two women in Mississippi. He was released on $50,000 bond. And continued to Twitter as if he didn't have a care in the world.

Today we learned that police confiscated his computers and video equipment and discovered videos of an unknown number of other women "dating back years" and that investigators are "still sifting through it all."

More Victims of Accused Olive Branch 'Peeping Preacher' Surface: MyFoxMEMPHIS.com

Olive Branch, MS police arrested Nuckolls at his home Saturday, charging him with one felony count of "photographing, taping, or filming persons in violation of expectation of privacy." He was later released on $10,000 bond.

Related articles:

WMC-TV >> Olive Branch evangelist charged with video voyeurism

WMC-TV >> Olive Branch police charge evangelist with voyeurism

WMC-TV >> Traveling evangelist faces new voyeurism charge in Arkansas

WREG-TV >> Preacher charged with voyeurism

FBC Jax Watchdog >> SBC Lifeway's 2011 Youth Camp Pastor Sammy Nuckolls Arrested for Filming Woman Showering in Her Own Home

Associated Baptist Press >> Evangelist charged with video voyeurism

Wade Burleson >> On Glass Windows and Curtains: The Psychology of Withdrawing from Public View

Apprising Ministries >> SBC LIFEWAY YOUTH CAMP PASTOR SAM NUCKOLLS ARRESTED FOR VIDEO PEEPING

Topix >> Blytheville Forum >> Sammy Nuckolls spends night in jail

rev.org >> Pastors and Porn


Not yet wiped (we saved 'em):

Morph Missions Board of Directors

Williams Baptist College >> Audio Archive >> 11/10/2010

Speaking at Mississippi College


FBC Jax Watchdog asks the glaring question:

FBC Jax Watchdog >> Video Voyeurism of Sammy Nuckolls - Were There Any Victims at Lifeway's FUGE Camps?


Updates:

WMC-TV >> Accused voyeur evangelist faces judge in Olive Branch

WMC-TV >> Evangelist charged with voyeurism could face even more charges


One question I have is why, if he just had to look at naked women besides his wife, he didn't do what at least 50% of his peers do and just go to the internet? Why did he feel the need to make his own videos? For the thrill of it? To humiliate his victims? I'm not sure I want to know.

Lawsuit in Baptistland

The Tennessean >> Former Nashville councilman hits Baptists with lawsuit

Three years ago a former Nashville, Tennessee Metro Council member, Ron Nollner, was hired by the SBC's International Mission Board to oversee the construction of a New Dehli office building. He and his wife, Beverly, who was hired "to provide support, aid and comfort to her husband," sold their house and car and gave up his construction career and her job in the U.S. to work for the IMB and live in India for at least the next three years for a paltry $1200 a month.

When Nollner complained to IMB administration about unsafe building practices and the builder and architect bribing local officials to obtain construction approval along the way, the IMB responded by informing Nollner his position was "no longer necessary." In other words, they fired him.

On October 20, 2011 Nollner filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against the SBC in the Davidson County (TN) Circuit Court alleging "retaliatory discharge, breach of contract and detrimental reliance." In the lawsuit Nollner describes IMB officials' reactions to his concerns as "unbothered, if not complicit."

In a related case the Supreme Court is slated to consider the idea of "ministerial exception." The outcome could affect not only this case but many other cases, some legitimate, others frivolous.

Could a ruling by the Supreme Court in this case open the door to victims of sexual abuse by SBC ministers suing churches and the SBC for failing to protect them against serial abusers? Stay tuned.


Photo © The Tennessean