A married Florida youth pastor was arrested after he allegedly tried to have sex with a 17-year-old girl from his church, but was interrupted by a maid at the motel they were at, numerous sources reported.
Andrew Weaver, 29, worked at Highlands Church of Christ in Lakeland, where the teen girl was part of his youth group, according to investigators. Police were notified after church leaders were notified that Weaver may have been involved in an inappropriate relationship with one of the minors, according to Fox 13.
Investigators said Weaver was “informally counseling” the teen girl when he asked to see nude photos of her that were allegedly on her phone.
The girl allegedly spoke of fantasies with him, and eventually “one thing led to another,” Sheriff Grady Judd said during a news briefing.
“Instead of being the appropriate counselor in the room, he creates a relationship with a 17-year-old child,” Judd said “Did I tell you he was 29 and married and a youth pastor?”
On Dec. 29, Weaver allegedly met the girl at the church and drove her to a motel where he rented a room. Judd said in the room Weaver had “inappropriate counseling” with her, and then an “angel appeared at the door in the form of a maid and knocked on the door.”
Judd said the knock startled Weaver, and they stopped their “in-depth counseling” before he returned the girl to the church.
“She was not sexually battered. But they were engaging in inappropriate behavior,” Judd said.
“There are hundreds of thousands of youth ministers you do the right thing everyday and provide counsel and leadership and adult supervision to youths who are in need of appropriate leadership,” Judd said. “This guy is an embarrassment to every one of those.”
“For whatever reason, that maid went to the door and was an angel that day because it freaked him out, and the rest of that inappropriate counseling session didn’t take place.”
Judd addressed Weaver, pointing to his photo during the briefing, and said “Andrew, Jesus don’t like that. I’d even go so far to say he’s pissed.”
Investigators said the victim told them she believed that had the maid not interrupted them, there would have been sexual contact between her and Weaver, according to Fox 13.
Weaver allegedly told police he had “crossed a line” with the victim and struggled with impulse control. (RELATED: South Carolina Church To Pay $300,000 And Apologize In Child Sex Abuse Case)
He faces charges of attempted unlawful sex with a minor and interference with child custody.