News - Local
Former assistant pastor sentenced for neglect
Posted: Jul 16, 2010 6:33 AM by Bea Karnes, News First 5
A former assistant pastor was sentenced to seven days in jail for punishing a developmentally disabled adult by blindfolding him and dumping trash on him.
Jason Smoker, 37, was also sentenced Thursday to one year of probation after being convicted of neglect of an at-risk adult.
Jefferson County prosecutors say Smoker was dissatisfied with the job a 21-year-old volunteer did cleaning a church bus before a trip so he punished him. The volunteer was not injured. He says he trusted Smoker and felt betrayed and humiliated by what happened.
Smoker was an assistant pastor at Red Rocks Baptist Church in Morrison.
The Jefferson County judge who sentenced Smoker called his actions "absolutely appalling."
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