Former Rogers Youth Pastor Pleads Guilty to Reduced Charge in Sex Crimes Case

Rogers, Arkansas — According to court documents, a former Rogers youth pastor who was accused of transmitting nude images of himself to a youngster pled guilty to a lower offense.

Kevin Madden, 34, was arrested on May 7, 2021, for one count of engaging children in sexually explicit activity and two counts of sexual indecency with a child. He pled not guilty to the allegations in June 2021.

Madden pled guilty to misdemeanor harassment in a plea deal on Tuesday. He received a one-year suspended sentence and was instructed not to contact the victim.

A prosecution attorney in that case stated that Madden pleaded guilty to providing a “lewd image of himself to another, and it served no legitimate purpose.”

The plea agreement was reached during a hearing ahead of Madden’s trial, which was scheduled to begin on September 17.

According to an affidavit, on April 30, 2021, a member of Rogers’ Discover Church complained to authorities that the church’s pastor, Madden, had transmitted pornographic photographs to a kid.

The member told police that a female from the church came forward and claimed that the youth pastor sent her sexually explicit images and inappropriate text messages to another member.

During the inquiry, police discovered that Madden allegedly tried to kiss one of the girls at a church event and harassed her while at work. She also accused Madden of using Snapchat to transmit sexual photographs of him showering.

The other girl told authorities that Madden had asked her to send him nude images.

Madden spoke with officers at his house and first rejected the claims, claiming he made mistakes with kids but did not touch them, according to the affidavit. He stated that what began as discussions about relationships and lovers evolved into inappropriate conversations.

He later admitted that he emailed nude images of himself in the shower.

Following his arrest, Discover Church issued a statement saying, “We do not take the safety of our members, students, and children for granted. We proceeded quickly to contact authorities and establish a path to discovering the truth in the matter.”