Prominent Tennessee-based evangelist Perry Stone, founder of Perry Stone Ministries, will not face charges after a grand jury declined to file any charges against him in a sexual misconduct case.
The case was presented to a Bradley County grand jury in March, which determined that no charges would be filed, local news station WDEF first reported. Stephen Crump, the 10th Judicial District Attorney General, said the allegations still concerned him, and the case file would remain open.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation delivered a report on the allegations to Crump, who requested the inquiry. Despite the grand jury’s decision, Crump said he was not necessarily done with the case.
“I was concerned with the nature of the allegations and the evidence that was produced,” Crump said, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He added that it’s not uncommon to leave cases open because of the potential that new information may emerge.
In 2020, the Voice of Evangelism board of directors confronted Stone, an End Times pastor and author known for his analysis of prophecies, after receiving 12 letters from women employed by or connected to his ministries, the Times Free Press reported.
The women accused Stone of sexual misconduct, including allegations of groping, showing that he was aroused, asking women about their breasts and unwanted kissing.
The allegations prompted the board for the ministry to request he step down and participate in a restoration plan while complaints from the women were evaluated.
However, the board eventually cleared Stone and allowed him to resume his post. Local district attorneys requested that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation investigate the accusations.
Voice of Evangelism spokesperson John Rodriguez told the Times Free Press that Stone and his team had not been contacted by the district attorney, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation or any other investigative entity, but that they had learned that the investigation did not yield an indictment.
“Unfounded accusations and blatant lies have been made about Perry Stone and Voice of Evangelism for the past three years,” Rodriguez said. “Yet the mission of love for people has never stopped nor wavered. We are committed to continuing to share the love of Jesus with a hurting world.” (READ MORE)
