Co-Founder of Largest Christian Music Festival Sentenced for Child Sex Abuse Charges

The former New Jersey pastor who co-founded the popular Creation Festival was sentenced Friday to 18 years in prison over charges of child sexual abuse.

Harry Thomas, 75, formerly pastored Come Alive New Testament Church in Medford Township, New Jersey, and was the co-founder of what is billed as the largest Christian music festival in the United States, according to The Associated Press.

The ex-minister’s prison sentence came after he tried unsuccessfully to withdraw his guilty plea. He was ultimately sentenced for his sexual abuses against five young girls.

Earlier this year, as part of a plea agreement, Thomas admitted to sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl in 2005, having sexual relations with three girls between the ages of seven and nine in 2000 and 2010 and exposing his genitals to an underage girl between 2008 and 2010.

https://www.faithwire.com/2018/07/30/co-founder-of-largest-christian-music-festival-sentenced-for-child-sex-abuse-charges/