Scott Hughes
Introduction
Scott C. Hughes, 54, is the former pastor of Pleasant View Baptist Church in Waynesburg, Kentucky, who was arrested on October 1, 2026 on charges including sodomy, sexual abuse and incest involving alleged juvenile victims . He remains held at the Pulaski County Detention Center on a $75,000 bond, and in the days after his arrest investigators filed a second round of charges after another accuser came forward . Hughes has been charged but not convicted, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty .
Background Information
Hughes led Pleasant View Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in Waynesburg, about 60 miles south of Lexington, and previously served as pastor of Eubank Baptist Church and at First Baptist Bronston in the same region . LEX18 also identified him as a former Sunrise Children’s worker . The initial investigation was led by Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office Crimes Against Children Detective Jay Picard, after information was received about alleged sexual contact involving Hughes and individuals who were minors at the time, with allegations beginning in Pulaski County in 2018 .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Hughes was arrested at 8 p.m. on October 1, 2026 at his Somerset home under a warrant issued by the Pulaski County District Court, and was lodged in the Pulaski County Detention Center on a $75,000 bond, according to the sheriff’s office and The Roys Report . He was initially charged with first-degree sexual abuse, second-degree sodomy, third-degree sodomy, and incest involving a person younger than 18 by a person three or more years older, with investigators alleging the conduct began in Pulaski County in 2018 . Two people came forward in that first round: one described abuse allegedly starting in 2018, and another reported allegations from 2012 and 2013 that occurred outside Pulaski County and were referred to the appropriate agency .
The case escalated the following week. Investigators interviewed an adult man on October 7 who alleged Hughes sexually abused him beginning when he was about 10 years old, with the alleged abuse continuing for several years and including incidents in Pulaski County . Based on that interview, Hughes was served with a new arrest warrant while in custody and charged with first-degree sodomy, second-degree sodomy involving a person in a position of authority, first-degree sexual abuse, human trafficking involving commercial sexual activity with a victim younger than 18, and incest involving a person younger than 18 by a person three or more years older . The Roys Report noted he faces a maximum possible sentence of 40 years on the most serious allegation, and that authorities believe there may be additional charges in another jurisdiction .
Public Reaction and Consequences
Pleasant View Baptist Church announced on October 2, 2026 that Hughes was placed on administrative leave, stating in part: “Effective today, October 2, 2026, Scott Hughes is placed on administrative leave due to his recent arrest on serious charges” . Two other churches where Hughes previously ministered, First Baptist of Bronston and Eubank Baptist, released nearly identical public statements identifying him as a former minister, distancing themselves from the case . The sheriff’s office publicly asked anyone with information about Hughes or additional allegations to come forward, and local outlets in Lexington and Somerset kept the expanding charge list in continuous coverage .
Current Status
Hughes remains in the Pulaski County Detention Center, where he has been held since his October 1 arrest, and he was served with the new warrant at the facility . The investigation by the sheriff’s office Criminal Investigation Division remains active, and investigators have said additional victims could exist . No conviction has been entered on any count, and the case has not reached trial in the reporting available for this page .
Impact on Their Career/Life
Hughes’s pulpit career in southern Kentucky is effectively ended: his own church removed him from all duties within a day of the arrest, and the congregations he previously served have publicly cut their ties . The charge sheet — which now spans sexual abuse, sodomy, incest and human trafficking allegations involving minors — would bar him from any ministry role even absent a conviction if the counts are proven . The case also drew regional attention because it spread across three churches and multiple alleged victims over a span of years before an arrest was made .
Sources
- WKYT, “Additional charges filed against Pulaski Co. pastor accused of sexual abuse” — source
- LEX18, “Pastor charged with additional sex crimes after man shares story with investigators” — source
- SNAP Network, “Pastor arrested on sexual abuse charges involving minors” — source
- The Roys Report, “Southern Baptist pastor in Kentucky arrested on sodomy, sexual abuse charges” — source