Haslet pastor steps back for internal investigation of sex offender’s employment
The Haslet pastor responsible for employing a registered sex offender to work on the campus of a church, school and daycare has been temporarily suspended.
Eric Crawford, pastor of Heritage Baptist Church, is the father of Caleb Crawford — the sex offender who was an independent contractor until parents discovered his criminal history. He was fired, the church on Feb. 16.
A statement issued by the church said Eric Crawford made the decision to use Caleb Crawford as a maintenance worker and volunteer worship leader after his legal proceedings concluded.
Caleb Crawford was convicted of indecently touching a 12-year-old girl in October 2016 and was in jail until October 2018.
In the statement last week, Eric Crawford said he reversed his decision to employ his son on the campus due to parents’ concern and the “unnecessary distraction within our ministry.”
A former attendee of the church, Katie Johnson, thought the pastor’s statement was not enough accountability and started a petition for Eric Crawford’s resignation on Wednesday. As of midday Monday, the petition has over 550 signatures.
Heritage Baptist Church, 1200 FM 156, announced the day after the petition went live that Eric Crawford is “temporarily relieved of all ministry responsibilities” while an internal review is conducted by the finance department.
“This decision was made collaboratively and voluntarily in order to ensure transparency, preserve the integrity of the review process, and avoid unnecessary distraction from the ongoing work on the church and its related ministries,” the statement reads.