Preacher arrested after leaving 5-year-old alone in car to drink in bar
John Gibson was charged with endangering the welfare of a child after police found the child inside Gibson's SUV, Dothan Police Department Lt. Scott Owens told USA TODAY on Wednesday, July 16.
According to Owens, the department's public information officer, Gibson left a 5-year-old family member in his SUV while he drank at a bar in the 2800 block of Ross Clark Circle in Dothan from Saturday, July 12, into the early morning hours of Sunday, July 13.
The city of Dothan is in Houston County in southeast Alabama near the Georgia and Florida state lines.
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'He was pretty highly intoxicated'
A concerned patron alerted police that a child was in a vehicle unattended," Owens said. "When officers arrived, people directed them to a parking lot where they found the vehicle with the child inside unattended and ID'd Gibson as the owner of vehicle and the child's family member.
USA TODAY is not releasing how the child is related to Gibson to protect their identity.
It was not immediately known how long the child had been in the vehicle when the officer arrived on the scene, but police said the child was unharmed.
"He was pretty highly intoxicated," Owen said recalling when police first interacted with the suspect.
The Alabama Department of Human Resources, WTVY-TY, reported, "took the child into their care" until other family members arrived.
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'It's just an overall unsafe issue'
At the time of the crime, temperatures were in the low 80s, according to weather forecasters.
"Regardless of the temperature, someone could have come and kidnapped the child or the child could have had a medical emergency," Owens said. "It's just an overall unsafe issue to leave a child in the car (alone).
Police confirmed Gibson was a pastor at First Baptist Church of Dothan at the time of his arrest.
First Baptist Church of Dothan statement on pastor's arrest
In a statement released to the outlet, the church said it "parted ways with its associate pastor to families following his arrest."
'This incident occurred on the staff member's personal time and in no way involved any of the students or children who participate in our student ministry,' the church wrote in the statement.
USA TODAY has reached out to First Baptist Church of Dothan.
Pastor who drank in bar while child sat in SUV free on bond
Officers booked Gibson into the jail on July 13, Owens said.
As of July 16, he was free on $500 bond, according to Owen and information from Houston County Sheriff's Office jail records.
Owen could not immediately be reached for comment and it was not known whether he had obtained a defense attorney in the case.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This story was updated to add a video.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Preacher leaves 5-year-old alone in car to drink in bar, police say
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