Georgia pastor accused of child molestation speaks exclusively to Action News Jax from jail

Controversial pastor Ken Adkins spoke only to Action News Jax, one day after his preliminary hearing in a Georgia courtroom.

Adkins is facing two charges of molesting a child under 16 for incidents that allegedly took place in 2010. In an exclusive jail house phone interview, Adkins said he's being targeted for his strong anti-homosexual positions.

Adkins walked into court Friday morning wearing a green jumpsuit and handcuffs. While his attorney did the talking Friday, Adkins spoke for himself Saturday in an exclusive jail house phone interview with Action News Jax.

"I never had an inappropriate relationship with this young man," Adkins said.

The young man is being called “AJ” by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. AJ told the GBI his relationship with Adkins started at the pastor’s church when he was 15 years old.

He said he had met Adkins through a mutual friend. AJ also claims he considered Adkins a father figure and Adkins would mentor him. That’s when AJ claims their sexual relationship started.

"The reason the state is trying to show me as being active in his life or sexually involved with him or whatever. They are trying to show was because after the age of 16 it's not a crime, it would not be a crime. That's why they invented that early time line," Adkins said.

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The GBI said AJ recently left a mental hospital. Adkins knew of AJ’s troubles, but said he’s surprised by the accusations from the young man.

"He never indicated there are any problems. He told me he was on antidepressants.  He had thought about committing suicide and that he was in an in-house facility," Adkins said.

Even though Adkins has opposed expanding legal protections for homosexuals, he said he gave his blessing for AJ to marry a man after he entered the Army.

Adkins maintains these are trumpeted up charges because of his political position as a black conservative and his opposition to expanding Jacksonville’s Human Rights Ordinance.

"A lot of this rush to judgment is to shut me up and put me in my place. You got to understand too that I'm in Southern Georgia, when you are a black man with a big mouth and in Southern Georgia, you are very dangerous," Adkins said.

Adkins’ bail hearing is Sept. 23.

Cox Media Group