T. Elliott Welch was a Baptist pastor in Forsyth County, North Carolina. He was a vocal opponent of efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19. In April, 2020, he asked how much a little girl was worth in the tweet below. Just one year later, in April 2021, it became evident that he didn’t think little girls were much at all when he was arrested for uploading a video of an adult man raping a child, a little girl. While out on bail, he was arrested again in June for additional charges of possessing child sexual abuse material.
He pleaded guilty, blaming the pandemic for his crimes. He was sentenced to a minimum of one year, 7 months and a maximum of six years, 11 months in prison

- The Christian Post: So. Baptist pastor arrested for allegedly copying video showing girl being raped by adult male
- Fox 8: Forsyth County former minister faces new charges in child pornography investigation
- Winston Salem Journal: Former Forsyth minister said stress from Covid-19 pandemic led him down dark path

Statesville, North Carolina · Thursday, August 26, 2021

