Former Vineyard Church youth pastor takes plea deal

DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) - A former youth pastor in Duluth took a plea deal Wednesday morning.

Jackson Michael Gatlin, 36, pleaded guilty to a first-degree criminal sexual conduct charge.

In the plea deal, it was agreed upon that Gatlin will serve at least 13 years in prison.

However, that won't be official until his sentencing on Nov. 25 and 26.

The former pastoral assistant at the Vineyard Church in Duluth had five criminal complaints filed against him.

The plea deal Gatlin took on Wednesday was only for one of the five complaints.

For the other complaints, he took an Alford plea, which is when a defendant pleads guilty and accepts a plea deal while maintaining their innocence.

At the time of the hearing, Gatlin had been out on bail for 13 months.

Judge Dale O. Harris ruled on Wednesday that Gatlin be taken back into custody.

According to the complaints, the alleged incidents span from 2007 to 2010.

According to the documents, he met most of the victims through the church where his parents were pastors.

Northern News Now heard from several of the victims and will share their stories on Wednesday's newscasts.