Prayer vigil for arrested minister draws fire
A local church has come under fire for planning a prayer vigil for a minister who was recently arrested in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City police arrested Michael Eric Coghill, 33, on Sept. 22 on a complaint of lewd/indecent acts to a child, according to a police report.
Coghill was identified as the discipleship minister at Lakehoma Church of Christ in Mustang. After the arrest, the church released a statement on its Facebook page stating he was no longer on staff there.
After several news outlets reported that the church planned to hold a prayer vigil for Coghill and his family Tuesday night, people took to social media to criticize the church for hosting a prayer event for the former minister instead of the alleged child victim. Representatives from the church were not available for comment Tuesday.
Oklahoma City police posted information about Coghill’s arrest on the department’s Facebook page. The arrest captured national attention, particularly because Coghill was confronted and physically detained or tackled by an adult who accused him of touching a 9year-old child inappropriately at a school bus stop in southwest Oklahoma City.
According to Oklahoma City police, the adult witness videotaped Coghill touching the child inappropriately. Police said Coghill suffered injuries when he was confronted by the witness. Police took Coghill to a local hospital where it was determined that his injuries would not require surgery.
Coghill was booked into the Oklahoma County jail on Sept. 22. Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the jail said Coghill was released on bail on Sept. 23.
Oklahoma City Police Capt. Valerie Littlejohn said Tuesday that police would not make the identity of the adult witness public.
“When we have a sex crime or especially anything involving a child, we can’t release anything that could speak to the identity of the victim,” she said.