Timothy Peargin, an organist and member of the now-defunct St. David’s Episcopal Church in Lakeland Florida who was arrested in 2014 on charges of failing to report child sex abuse, recently threatened Anglican Watch due to our reporting of his previous arrest. The prior arrest stems from an investigation into his partner and roommate, Keith Crump, who had sex with two teenage boys under age 16. Crump also attempted to share child pornography with a friend, Tavis Bell.
In his emailed correspondence with this publication, Peargin asserts that we do not have all the facts and that he was unaware of the situation involving his partner. This, despite Peargin’s alleged 1991 arrest in California for lewd acts with a child under age 14.
In his final communication with us, Peargin references our “black heart” (sic).
We were under the impression that references to “black” as evil were generally understood to be racist.
To be clear, Anglican Watch does not remove posts based on vague assertions that we don’t have all the facts, or that someone has changed their behavior, done their time, reformed themselves, etc. That said, we might, if someone has a good story to tell, report on what they learned from their experiences, done to improve themselves, etc.
In other words, those who engage in misconduct, do so at their own risk. That includes any conduct involving the exploitation or abuse of a minor, or failure to report these behaviors.
We also remind readers that use of our email, faxes, and phones in order to threaten us, including with legal action, is expressly prohibited.
As to threats like Peargin’s that we will “hear from [his] lawyer,” spare us. We have been at this since 2015 and are well aware of what does and does not constitute defamation.
Leave a Reply