Andrew Benton
Introduction
Andrew Benton is a 27-year-old Duncan, Oklahoma youth pastor who turned himself in to police on October 8, 2026 after the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation accused him of having sexual contact with children . Benton held leadership roles at two Duncan congregations — youth president at the Assembly of Our Lord Jesus Christ and youth pastor at Grace Chapel Pentecostal Church — before OSBI agents identified him as the suspect in a child sexual abuse investigation opened at the Duncan Police Department’s request in March 2026 . He now faces two counts of child sexual abuse, charges that are accusations and that he has not yet had the opportunity to contest in court .
Background Information
Benton worked with young people in Duncan’s church community, serving simultaneously as youth president for the Assembly of Our Lord Jesus Christ and as a youth pastor for Grace Chapel Pentecostal Church . The case against him began in March 2026, when the Duncan Police Department asked OSBI to investigate possible child sexual abuse . Over the following months, OSBI agents conducted the inquiry that culminated in Benton being identified as the suspect .
The churches Benton served sit within Duncan’s network of small congregations, and his dual roles meant he was a recurring adult presence in the lives of the minors in both programs. The public record does not identify the alleged victims or their ages, and the sheriff’s office has not released further details about the allegations beyond the charge counts.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
OSBI agents shared their report on Benton with the Stephens County District Court on August 28, 2026, and an arrest warrant was issued on October 6 . Two days later, on October 8, Benton turned himself in to police . He was booked on two counts of child sexual abuse, and bond was set at $100,000 with conditions requiring him to have no contact with any minors and to consume no intoxicants .
The charges themselves mark the collapse of his standing in the community where he ministered: a man whose job was leading church youth programs now stands formally accused of the sexual abuse of children, with a court summons in Stephens County replacing the pulpit. As with any criminal case, the charges against Benton are accusations, not a determination of guilt, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty .
Public Reaction and Consequences
The arrest was reported across Oklahoma media and catalogued by survivor-advocacy organizations tracking abuse by church figures, including the Bishop Accountability archive, which republished the station’s report under its Oklahoma listings . The fall of a youth pastor who had led two congregations’ youth programs resonated in a city Duncan’s size, where church roles carry civic visibility.
The consequences for Benton were immediate and institutional as well as criminal: the $100,000 bond, the no-contact order covering all minors, and the surrender of his role at both congregations follow from the charges, and the case proceeds in Stephens County District Court, where OSBI filed its report .
Current Status
Benton has been charged with two counts of child sexual abuse and released on bond under court-ordered conditions barring contact with minors and intoxicant use; he awaits further proceedings in Stephens County . The investigation’s origins in a March 2026 police request for state assistance, the August referral to the district court, and the October warrant and surrender trace the full arc of the case so far . No trial date or plea has been reported in the sources available for this page, and the churches he served have not issued public statements in the fetched record.
Impact on Their Career/Life
The criminal charges ended Benton’s youth ministry career at both congregations and placed him under judicial supervision whose central condition — no contact with any minors — forecloses the very work that defined his public life. A conviction on two counts of child sexual abuse under Oklahoma law would carry prison time and sex-offense registration consequences; even absent conviction, the charges and bond conditions have removed him from the ministry roles he held at the Assembly of Our Lord Jesus Christ and Grace Chapel Pentecostal Church . For Duncan’s church community, the case is a reminder of the exposure that comes with youth leadership roles entrusted without external oversight.