A local megachurch has dismissed one of its pastors following his arrest on a child cruelty charge.
Kenneth McFarland, 42, was taken into custody by the Stockbridge Police Department on Nov. 10 and booked into the Henry County Jail on a charge of second-degree cruelty to children, according to jail records.
The church, 2819 Church, announced McFarland’s termination in a statement posted on social media.
According to the statement, McFarland was arrested and charged with a “serious crime” involving the “physical harm of a child in his family.”
McFarland was initially suspended and then terminated on Nov. 18 after the church gathered more information.
The statement did not provide additional details about the alleged incident but said the church will not tolerate violence of any kind, especially involving children. They also said they would continue to support his wife and children and asked people not to engage in gossip and speculation.
According to a police report obtained by USA Today, his son told an assistant principal at this school who noticed blood on the boy’s pants that his father had struck him with a power cord from a gaming system and “my dad called himself disciplining me.” McFarland allegedly struck him because the boy had received in-school suspension.
Police discovered bruising on the boy’s upper right thigh and lower buttocks, according to the report.
The church has more than 1.4 million followers on YouTube.
McFarland’s case remains under investigation.
