A former Houston County Sheriff’s chaplain almost pleaded guilty Tuesday to multiple child molestation charges.
Headland Attorney Pamela Scott said her client, 53-year-old Curtis Otha Grant, wanted to plead guilty. Houston County District Attorney Doug Valeska said he offered Grant a 30-year prison sentence if he pleaded guilty to all 14 charges filed against him.
“My client advises me he wants to plead guilty against my advise,” Scott said. “There is reasonable doubt in many of these cases. He has absolutely no record.”
Grant was in court Tuesday for his arraignment where criminal defendants typically announce whether they plan to plead guilty.
Circuit Court Judge Brad Mendheim told Scott and her client to think about the plea offer from the prosecution and come back Thursday ready for arraignment.
Valeska said during the hearing that Grant faced a maximum of 280 years if convicted of all the charges against him.
Houston County Sheriff’s investigators arrested Grant in November 2009. He was indicted earlier this year on charges that include two felony counts of second-degree rape, two felony counts of attempted second-degree rape, five felony counts of enticing a child for immoral purposes, and five misdemeanor counts of second-degree sex abuse.
At the time of Grant’s arrest, Sheriff Andy Hughes said he was contacted by Grant late at night and told about sexual assaults with a teenage girl. Hughes said Grant had served as a volunteer chaplain for about three years. Grant only served as chaplain for the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, and not the jail, where another chaplain works full-time.
“He’s been in the ministry for 21 years, and he can’t go back there,” Scott said. “Before the ministry he was a nurse, but he can’t go back there because his license has expired. It is an unfortunate mistake he’s made.”
Scott said Grant has been living in a halfway house in Birmingham that primarily houses sex offenders.
“There was no evidence I’ve been shown that the Houston County Sheriff’s Office had any evidence of wrongdoing,” Scott said. “He turned himself in.”
Valeska said the 30-year prison term in exchange for a guilty plea he offered would expire after Thursday. A judge does not have to abide by a plea agreement made by the prosecution and the defense, but they typically do.
Valeska said at least one of the sex crimes happened at the church where Grant served as a pastor.
“I’d like to get it over with for the victim so she doesn’t have to testify,” Valeska said. “You just don’t expect those things to happen in churches. Hopefully, there can be peace in that church.”
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