Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 119. No.13	APRIL 1 , 2010

Details of abuse allegations against pastor emerge

The Meade County Messenger would like to remind readers that Marion Barnes is innocent until he is proven guilty, and that allegations against him are just that at this time – allegations. Wherever possible, the Messenger has tried to generalize the extremely graphic nature of these allegations. Reader discretion is cautioned, this material is not suitable for young readers.

Details are emerging from the police investigation into former Glad Tidings Church Pastor Marion Barnes.

Barnes was originally arrested Feb. 15, on five counts of sexual abuse against a minor – two counts in the 3rd degree and three counts in the 1st degree.

A March 8 grand jury indictment alleged 11 accounts of sexual abuse – including seven counts of 1st degree sexual abuse, and four counts of 2nd degree sexual abuse.

The charges stemmed from allegations made by his niece, Alexandria Owens. Now 18, she was a minor at the time of the abuse.

According to records from the Kentucky State Police investigation, Owens said Barnes coerced her into participating in his masturbation, “between 100-200 times,” since October 2007. These included instances both at Barnes’ Ekron home and in his vehicle. They also indicate some abuse may have occurred while Barnes’ wife, Cheryl, was at the home sleeping.

Under “modus operandi,” the report indicates that Barnes often coerced Owens into participating in sexual activities in order for her to receive permission to do things like attend movies or concerts.

The most recent incident was said to have occurred Feb. 8, according to Owens, when she asked permission to see a movie with her boyfriend.

“He asked me when Barrett was picking me up and I told him in about 20 minutes. He then asked me to come inside and let him ‘do something.’ Which I knew what that meant. I refused at first, but then he begged me so I reluctantly agreed to let him,” Owens wrote in a statement.

The statement goes on to describe in detail the sexual nature of the incident, including the fact that Barnes insisted she look at him while he masturbated. “After he finished, he kissed my shoulder and said, ‘Love You, Baby, have fun.’”

Other incidents in the report, also written in specific and graphic detail, recount certain dates memorable to Owens.

One involved getting permission to attend a Nov. 25, 2009 concert at Headliners. “He said I could do that if I agreed to let him ‘have some fun’ when I got back in.” She goes on to describe his actions in detail.

Another incident occurred on Barnes’ birthday, Jan. 7, 2009. Owens wrote that “He had asked me all day if I would give him a hand job (meaning I would masturbate him.) I continuously refused....I kept refusing. He always asked me why not and I told him because he was my family and I was dating at the time. And it was especially wrong because he was married. He said it didn’t matter because we weren’t blood related.”

Another incident is specifically recounted by date because it occurred the night Owen’s grandfather passed away.

Wrote Owens, “...I begged him to quit, but he kept saying he needed it and I kept crying and saying, ‘give me a break. My grandpa just died.’ But he kept masturbating. I could have gotten up but I stayed because I knew he would be mad at me and it would make things worse the next day.”

Other incidents allegedly occurred in a vehicle on Mondays in 2008 and 2009, after routinely feeding homeless people. During the ride home, he and Owens were often alone. Owens said he kept napkins in the car for that purpose, which he would throw out the window after ejaculation.

The abuse reportedly began in 2007, when Owens asked to borrow his laptop computer which was on a bed in his room. At one point while using the computer, Owens said she noticed he was masturbating, but didn’t let on that she saw him doing it. She said it escalated from there and that he frequently watched her shower.

Following the most recent Feb. 8 incident, Owens confided the sexual abuse to her boyfriend.

His police statement says, “On Wednesday Feb. 10, I was texting Alexandria Owens about church and things of that nature. She told me that the reason she never got anything out of church was a reason no one knew about....She initially told me not to tell anyone, but after talking for awhile, she agreed to do something about it.”

Her boyfriend got adults involved, and one met personally with Owens on Feb. 14.

In her police statement she wrote, “I explained to Alex that this was a very serious accusation to make so she would understand the severity of what she was saying...” She said Alex was friends with her two sons, and she had mentored Alex concerning college and had taught a Bible class she was in.
Owens, her boyfriend, and three adults, went to the Meade County Courthouse on Monday, Feb. 15 to file the complaint.

After conducting interviews with them and gathering statements, Kentucky State Police investigating officer Curtis Mouser asked Owens if she thought Barnes would confess.

She replied no.

At this time, Mouser received permission to record a phone conversation between Owens and Barnes that lasted 17 minutes.

The police report provides a summary of the conversation, and the actual recording was entered into evidence.

According to the summary, Barnes said he was at the church working on music at the time of the call.
When Owens told Barnes she planned to move out, he promised her not to do those things again. As the conversation proceeds, Barnes apologized and asked her not to tell anyone, particularly his wife Cheryl.

The summary of the conversation also reported Barnes being worried about losing his job, his home, and “everything.”

The summary of the recorded conversation also stated, “Barnes says Owens is moving out because of him. Owens says that is sexual abuse, do you know that? Barnes response is yes. Barnes says, but there has been some consent, too. Owens says there has been no consent.”

Barnes reportedly asked Owens if she could just move out, and let him deal with the matter later and help him not to “be ruined right now.”

Soon after this recorded conversation ended, Barnes’ called Owens and spoke to her for one minute and 40 seconds about what he should do with her car and whether she planned on moving out that night.
He told Owens what excuse she should tell his wife as to why she was moving out.

After his arrest, Mouser reported that he told Barnes he wanted to speak with him about Alex and read him his rights. Barnes declined to talk with the officer. Mouser said in his report that at no time did
Barnes ask about any of the details or reasons he had been arrested.

The audio recordings, along with a copy of the grand jury testimony, and the Kentucky State Police report, were provided as discovery to the defense and were filed at the courthouse on March 15.
First degree sexual abuse is a Class D felony, punishable by at least one, but not more than five years imprisonment. Indecent exposure in the 2nd degree is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by 90 days to 12 months imprisonment.

If found guilty, the misdemeanor counts would be served concurrently with the felony counts. According to Commonwealth Attorney Susan Streible, Kentucky has “aggregate caps” set by statute, that would limit the sentence for the seven Class D felonies to 20 years imprisonment.

Barnes’ lawyer, Alec Stone, had no comment on the allegations.

A pre-trial conference date has been set for April 8, in Division 1 Court before Judge Bruce Butler.

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