A grand jury determined prosecutors had not offered sufficient proof to present possible trigger that southern Dallas megachurch pastor dedicated crimes.
DALLAS — A Dallas County grand jury declined to indict Rickie Rush – a widely known megachurch pastor in Dallas – in two legal instances, together with one the place a 15-year-old alleged that Rush raped him.
Rush, the 63-year-old founding father of the Inspiring Body of Christ Church (IBOC), confronted allegations of abuse from former church members over the course of a a number of years, according to the Dallas Morning News (DMN). Rush’s lawyer, Michael Heiskell, told the newspaper that the accusations in opposition to him are a part of a smear marketing campaign.
IBOC was started in 1990 by Rush and grew to 450 members inside six months, in accordance to the church’s web site. To date, IBOC is acknowledged as a southern Dallas megachurch with more than 15,000 members.
The Grayson County Criminal District Attorney’s Office – who have been assigned the case after the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office recused itself – instructed WFAA that “a thorough review was conducted of all reports made available by the Dallas Police Department (DPD), as well as reviewing other publicly available documentation, and additional relevant records that were obtained and reviewed through the issuance of Grand Jury Subpoenas.”
According to the DMN, Dallas District Attorney John Creuzot’s filed for recusal from the case due to a private relationship with Rush.
The evaluate was offered earlier than a Dallas County Grand Jury on Aug. 11, and the jury discovered prosecutors had not offered sufficient proof to present possible trigger that Rush dedicated crimes, the lawyer’s workplace instructed WFAA.
Both instances have been “no billed.”
Heiskell added Tuesday that the allegations have been “baseless” and applauded the grand jury’s determination, the DMN reported.
One of Rush’s accusers, Donna Fields, instructed the DMN she is crushed by the choice.
“It’s a slap in the face,’’ Fields said. “As big a case as this is, you think someone would have made us feel our family’s allegations are being taken seriously. If they cared, they would have reached out.”
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