Skip to main content
Holiday Sale — Get 40% off Vantage for yourself or as a gift
Get Started
SubscribeLogin
Published • loading... • Updated

Former pastor with Arkansas ties indicted for rape, lewd acts

Joseph Lyle Campbell, 68, faces charges of first-degree rape and lewd acts from alleged 1980s abuse at Eastland Assembly of God Church, with prosecution citing paused statute of limitations.

  • On Dec. 17, 2025, Joseph Lyle Campbell, 68, former Tulsa youth pastor, had an indictment unsealed in Tulsa County District Court after Oklahoma's multicounty grand jury charged him with one count of first-degree rape and one count of lewd acts to a child.
  • NBC News' May investigation prompted Oklahoma authorities to open a probe, and five women spoke to NBC News about alleged abuse from the 1970s and 1980s.
  • Grand jurors alleged incidents in 1984, including the rape of an 11- or 12-year-old in Campbell's parsonage garage and molestation of a 14-year-old at the church, and the multicounty grand jury returned charges Dec. 11 after prosecutors presented evidence.
  • Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond described the allegations as horrific and pledged vigorous legal action for the women who carried trauma for decades, invoking a frontier-era statute to charge decades-old claims.
  • Prosecutors previously used the same legal approach in the Robert Morris case, where Morris pleaded guilty in October to five felonies, paid $270,000 restitution, and resigned from Gateway Church in 2024.
Insights by Ground AI

39 Articles

Tulsa WorldTulsa World
Center

Former Tulsa pastor indicted, accused of sexually assaulting two girls in 1984

Joseph Lyle Campbell was a pastor at Eastland Assembly of God Church in Tulsa at the time of the alleged assaults on two girls, according to the Attorney General's Office.

·Tulsa, United States
Read Full Article
OklahomanOklahoman
Center

Former OK youth pastor Joseph Campbell indicted on child sex charges

·Oklahoma City, United States
Read Full Article
NWAHOMEPAGENWAHOMEPAGE
Center

Former pastor with Arkansas ties indicted for rape, lewd acts

A former youth pastor who made stops at multiple churches in Oklahoma, Arkansas and other states was indicted on Wednesday for child sex crimes.

Read Full Article
Koco News5Koco News5
Center

Former Tulsa youth pastor indicted for rape and lewd acts to a child

The indictment alleges the pastor sexually abused children in the 1980s.

·Oklahoma City, United States
Read Full Article
KOKIKOKI
Center

Former Tulsa youth pastor indicted for rape, lewd acts from 1984

A former youth pastor at the Eastland Assembly of God Church in Tulsa has been indicted on one count of first-degree rape and one count of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16 by a multi-county grand jury.

·Tulsa, United States
Read Full Article
NBC NewsNBC News
Lean Left

Longtime children's pastor Joe Campbell arrested on child sex abuse charges

Joe Campbell, a former Assemblies of God minister, was indicted on sex abuse charges in Oklahoma after an NBC News investigation revealed decades of missed warnings.

·United States
Read Full Article
Think freely.Subscribe and get full access to Ground NewsSubscriptions start at $9.99/yearSubscribe

Bias Distribution

  • 94% of the sources are Center
94% Center

Factuality Info Icon

To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium

Ownership

Info Icon

To view ownership data please Upgrade to Vantage

Telemundo 20 broke the news in on Wednesday, December 17, 2025.
Too Big Arrow Icon
Sources are mostly out of (0)

Similar News Topics

Springfield, Missouri icon

Springfield, Missouri

News
Feed Dots Icon
For You
Search Icon
SearchBlindspot LogoBlindspotLocal