Former Columbus pastor facing charges of raping a child

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — A former Columbus pastor is facing six felony sexual assault charges for incidents involving a child under the age of 10 over a four-year period.

According to court records, George Bell, 72, was arraigned Tuesday on four counts of rape and two counts of sexual imposition. A Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge gave him a $20,000 recognizance bond.

Bell is a former pastor at Anchor Baptist Church on the Southwest Side. He resigned from the post on June 27 before the church was made aware of the accusations against him. An announcement on the church's website said Bell had resigned for "personal reasons."

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"We now know that there was more to the unexpected resignation of our former pastor, George Bell, than we were originally led to believe," the church posted after learning of the accusations against him.

Between February 2021 and February of this year, prosecutors accused Bell of raping a child under the age of 10 at least four times. He also allegedly had sexual contact with the victim sometime between February and June of this year, according to an indictment document.

In a statement posted on its website, Anchor Baptist Church said it is cooperating with law enforcement and praying for the community and the victim.

Bell founded the church in July 1989, according to a now-deleted biography on its website.