WAYNESVILLE, N.C. – A former part-time pastor pled guilty Monday to stealing a sex toy, a bottle of lubricant, and a pair of panties from a local woman's home.
The defendant, Scott Gillis Murray, was sentenced to two years of probation by Superior Court Judge Marlene Hyatt. (The state dropped one of the charges and agreed to Murray's guilty plea on the lesser charge of breaking and entering, allowing Murray to forgo prison time.) He was further ordered to continue in an alcohol treatment program and avoid all contact with the victim.
the victim of the theft, who opted to remain anonymous and did not appear at the hearing, found Murray in her home around 11 p.m. the night of the incident. The culprit later broke his leg by jumping over her back porch to escape, and he left a plastic bag of the purloined items in the woods near her house. After admitting his guilt to police the next day, investigators recovered the woman's belongings.
After Murray was charged in July, he resigned from his role at the New Covenant Church in a neighboring community.
Bob Clark, Murray's attorney, informed the court that his client regretted his behavior and was prepared for the penalty. "He accepts the fact that punishment has to come first before redemption," Clark says.
Source: Asheville Citizen-Times
