Aaron Williams Jr., an aspiring politician and pastor of Maddox Memorial Church of God in Christ in Mansfield, Ohio, is set to be arraigned in Mansfield Municipal Court on Tuesday after he was arrested in late August for allegedly engaging in a sex act with a woman who is not his wife in the back of an SUV at the Clearfork Reservoir Park.
The Mansfield Police Department confirmed with The Christian Post on Monday that Williams was arrested for public indecency. But when contacted by CP, Williams denied he was arrested and alleged he was dealing with political persecution.
“I wasn’t arrested. It’s politically motivated,” Williams told CP before clamming up and insisting he would make no further comment.
Last November, Williams made an unsuccessful run to become a Richland County commissioner while touting the work his ministry has done in the community.
“Aaron is a pillar of the Mansfield community who has worked tirelessly through his ministry to make everyone he meets thrive,” Richland Ohio Democrats noted on Instagram last October. “Aaron is dedicated to creating a positive future for the youth of our community and wants to use county resources to help curtail violence that has plagued our region. Aaron is an incredible advocate for the everyday needs of Richland County residents.”
On his church’s website, Williams is presented as the son of the church’s late pastor, a “devoted husband,” “proud father of three beautiful daughters” and a Gulf War veteran who is deeply committed to his community.
“Above all,” states the church, “Pastor Williams lives to please God, serve His people, and inspire transformation in everyone he encounters.”
Records provided by the Mansfield Police Department show that at about 1:32 p.m. on Aug. 30, a patrol officer saw a grey 2022 Land Rover in Picnic Area #1 at Clearfork Reservoir Park. The officer saw Williams and a woman, CP has chosen not to identify because she is not a public figure, in the back seat of the vehicle, engaging in a sex act. Both of them were charged with public indecency.
Williams took over the leadership of the church in September 2016 from his late father. Online broadcasts from the church on Sunday did not show him at his pulpit.
When asked if he was still the pastor of the church, the 56-year-old said he had no further comment.
In an earlier interview with The Roys Report, Williams said he never told anyone he was perfect and argued that his misconduct was being “blown out of proportion.”
“I’m not a villain. … I know people jump on stuff like this because they always want to look for something that the church is wrong about,” he told the news outlet. “I never said I was better than anybody or higher and mightier than anybody. I’ve never said I was holier than anybody.”
Williams told CP that he regrets making those comments to The Roys Report, insisting his words were being taken out of context, and questioned why the story was being covered by CP.
When informed that the role of pastor is in a high public office in the context of the Church, he ended the interview after stating that: “Nobody can hold me more accountable than the Father, myself or my family.”
Contact: leonardo.blair@christianpost.com Follow Leonardo Blair on Twitter: @leoblair Follow Leonardo Blair on Facebook: LeoBlairChristianPost
