A Lauderdale County pastor who confessed from the pulpit that he had molested a child has since pleaded guilty to the crime in court, according to the county's district attorney.
Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly said John Thomas Martin pleaded guilty late last week and will be formally sentenced in June. That sentence is set to include a lifetime on the sexual offender registry.
Martin, who was the lead pastor at Lighthouse Baptist Church in Florence, was originally arrested on four counts of sexual abuse in 2019. Trial was due to begin Monday.
