North Texas pastor indicted after attempting to pay suspected prostitute $150: police
A North Texas pastor is facing a charge of soliciting prostitution after he was arrested in May, according to Plano police.
The former senior pastor at North Dallas Community Bible Fellowship church in Plano, 51-year-old Terren Lee Dames, was taken into custody May 2.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, the former pastor’s arrest was part of a sting operation. Plano police regularly conduct a “demand reduction” operation targeting those who solicit commercial sex, the warrant says.
On the evening of May 2, Dames called an undercover officer and agreed to pay a person he believed to be a prostitute $150 for sex, according to the warrant.
The officer provided Dames with an address, and the former pastor arrived at a motel shortly after, court documents state.
Dames was stopped by another officer at the intersection of G Avenue and Central Parkway East, where he was arrested.
After being read his Miranda warning, Dames told officers that he arrived at the motel to meet a friend, the warrant says. It was at that point that Dames started experiencing a medical episode.
He was evaluated by the fire department and medics determined his vitals were low, but Dames refused to be taken to a hospital, according to the warrant. His phone was also seized when he was taken into custody.
Dames was indicted on solicitation of prostitution on June 11, Collin County court records show.
He was named the church’s senior pastor in 2015, according to North Dallas Community Bible Fellowship’s website.
In a news release Wednesday, the church’s executive pastor, David Lawson, said Dames was fired due to a “moral failure.”
“NDCBF leadership remains devoted to the church’s mission of making disciples and vision to empower each member to impact the world by doing the work of Jesus Christ,” the statement reads. “Sound, biblical doctrine remains a priority.”
Lawson goes on in the release to say that the church’s leadership continues to focus on teaching biblical subjects, “such as victory, hope and unity.”
“With passages that prescribe the wisdom in thought and action, the church is eager to pave the path forward in healing and restoration,” Lawson said in the release.
This story was originally published July 31, 2024 at 2:57 PM.
