BALTIMORE — A man who claims he was sexually abused as a teenager by a former Baltimore County pastor, now convicted, has initiated a lawsuit against the church he once attended.
Thomas George Pinkerton Jr., who previously served at Central Christian Church located on Rossville Boulevard, pleaded guilty earlier this month to one count of sexual abuse of a minor. Notably, a total of seven victims have come forward regarding his actions.
Although Pinkerton has not been associated with Central Christian Church for over 15 years, at least one victim is pursuing civil accountability from the church.
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The law firm Andreozzi + Foote, representing the victim, asserts that both the church and its lead pastor had “actual and constructive knowledge” of Pinkerton’s misconduct, which occurred from 2006 to 2010.
“The plaintiff’s grandfather explicitly reported serious concerns regarding Defendant Pinkerton’s behavior to the Church’s lead pastor,” the lawsuit states. “Multiple other parents and church staff members observed Defendant Pinkerton’s predatory behavior towards younger boys and similarly communicated these concerns to the lead pastor. Despite receiving these explicit reports, Defendant Central Christian disregarded the warnings, failed to investigate Defendant Pinkerton’s actions, did not implement sufficient operational oversight, and neglected to intervene to protect the plaintiff, thus allowing the egregious abuse to persist for years.”
We have reached out to the church for a statement and are awaiting their response.
In the meantime, Pinkerton is set to be sentenced on December 14, with prosecutors seeking a four-year prison term.
Following Pinkerton’s guilty plea, the church released a statement expressing their sorrow.
“Our hearts are broken for these young men and the immense loss each of them has experienced due to this individual’s actions. The family and leadership of Central continue to pray for them, as well as support them and their families as they navigate this trauma. Our foremost priority remains the safety of our children, and we are actively seeking new and improved methods to ensure, to the best of our ability, that such incidents do not occur again.”
The church has not yet responded to our request regarding the lawsuit.
