Update: Church Board of Directors Demands Pastor’s Resignation After Allegations of Child Pornography

Oswegatchie Baptist Church Pastor Merton Parks has been the target of a child pornography investigation since July that started as part of a nationwide federal probe know as “Operation Flicker.”

The investigation into the pastor has now been turned over to the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office.

Last night, members of the church’s board of directors met and demanded Parks resignation.

Board member Barabra Fuller told 7 News that Parks was given until Sunday to get his belongings out of the church office and that he was to move from the Baptist parsonage next door.

Fuller said she “could not believe it” when she saw 7 News exclusive report Monday night.

Fuller added that “he’s a pastor and should not be doing stuff like that. We’re angry and he just broke my heart because I love that church.”

For the time being a church deacon will conduct services at the church, which has a congregation of about 30 parishioners, until a new pastor can be found.

Fuller says the church will also turn to the Empire State Fellowship “to help us get back on our feet.”
Authorities say Parks used a credit card to download images of nude children in sexually suggestive poses from his home computer.
Earlier Report:

A federal child pornography investigation known as Operation Flicker has identified thousands of people in the United States who have subscribed to various child porn websites.

The investigation has stretched into the north country.

“Our detective division is involved in the early parts of an investigation into allegations of child pornography involving a member of the clergy in St. Lawrence County,” said St. Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin Wells.

The focus of that probe is First Baptist Church Pastor Merton Parks of Oswegatchie.

“I’m obviously not for pornography. It was on my computer and I was really confused about the whole matter,” Parks told 7 News.

The allegations against the Baptist pastor surfaced in July when the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement Cyber Crimes Center identified Parks as one of thousands of people who allegedly used a credit card to subscribe to various child pornography websites operated by a criminal organization.

“I’ve had some preliminary contact with some of the information in the file, I’ll be reviewing that in more depth this week and I’ll also be talking to law enforcement about it,” said St. Lawrence County District Attorney Nicole Duve.

Investigators say the church pastor purchased and downloaded images of several children - some as young as 9 years old - in sexually suggestive poses onto his home computer.

Authorities say they took the pastor’s computer and recovered the images which were put on a disc now in police possession.

He also allegedly gave a statement to federal investigators who have turned the case over to local authorities.

Pastor Parks has been at the First Baptist Church on the Oswegatchie Trail for the past three years.

Prior to that he served as pastor of the First Baptist Church in Hermon for five years.

While no criminal charges have been lodged as the investigation continues to unfold, Pastor Parks denied any intentional criminal wrongdoing.

“Some of it may have gotten there because I did download it but it was not meant for any malicious intent or anything like that,” said Parks.

Police don’t believe any of the child porn images are of local youngsters.

7 News was told charges could be filed as early as this week.

See John Friot’s report:

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