The pastor of a Haslet church resigned after it became public knowledge that his son, a registered sex offender, had worked at the church and its school.
Heritage Baptist Church announced on Monday that Eric Crawford had stepped down as pastor as of March 1. Crawford had taken leave in late February after his son Caleb’s arrest for failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements.
Caleb Crawford, a lifetime registered sex offender, worked as a maintenance employee at Heritage Christian Academy, the church’s school. Parents spotted him performing janitorial work and installing security cameras. Children recognized him by name and identified his car, according to police documents. He also led the church’s music services.
The church terminated Caleb Crawford’s contract after parents raised concerns. Staff members and teachers knew of his status but had been instructed not to inform parents, according to the arrest affidavit.
Heritage Baptist Church plans to improve security with a new visitor access system, stricter background checks, and additional on-site security personnel, according to an announcement posted on social media.
No permanent replacement for Eric Crawford has been named. An interim pastor will lead the search process, the church said in a Facebook post.
Caleb Crawford’s conviction stems from 2016. His cousin Taylor Hamilton says he began sexually touching her at age 12, when Caleb was 17. The unwanted contact, mostly over clothing, continued until she was 14 and he left for college at 19.
Caleb Crawford pleaded guilty to indecency with a child. He served two years in prison and must register as a sex offender for life.
“It’s a big thing for me to be able to say this happened to me, but it doesn’t define who I am. To be able to put a face to a name for people because this isn’t just an accusation. This is something that he was convicted of and served time for. No matter what anyone says, he was found guilty,” Hamilton said, Fox 4 KDFW reported.
