Hudson Youth Minister Charged With Sexual Battery

HUDSON, FL -- A youth minister at a Hudson church has been arrested after being accused of sexually battering a 17-year-old boy a decade ago.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, Jeremiah Joseph Smith, 38, of Port Richey was arrested Monday in connection with an accusation of sexual battery that began on Sept. 12, 2009, and continued for several years.

The victim, now an adult, reported to the sheriff's office that he spent time at Smith's home on Whitby Road in Hudson when he was a teen and Smith was a youth minister at First United Methodist Church of Hudson, 13827 U.S. 19, Hudson.

The complainant told deputies that, on at least eight occasions, Smith told him to take off his clothing and go into a laundry room where Smith reportedly gave the teen full-body massages with baby oil, lasting 30 to 45 minutes. The complainant said the massages included touching his genitals and anus.

During a phone call monitored by detectives, Smith apologized to the victim and said he "made a series of horrible decisions."

When interviewed, Smith admitted massaging the teen but said any sexual contact was accidental. He also said the teen was 18 years old at the time and the contact was consensual.

He is being held at the Land O' Lakes Detention Center on a $50,000 bond. At the time of his arrest, he was a teacher at Genesis Preparatory School on Osteen Road in New Port Richey.

Image via Pasco Sheriff

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