COLORADO SPRINGS — A pastor allegedly fired two subordinates for reporting concerns that his niece, a teacher at a church-run high school, had an inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old student, The Gazette reports.
The niece, Terah Allyn Rawlings, 32, was indicted on charges of sexual assault this week by an El Paso County grand jury. Three senior administrators — including Pastor Franklin “Wayne” Knight, 63 — were charged with ignoring a legal obligation to report the abuse.
A lawsuit filed against Hilltop Baptist in May by former math teacher Laurie A. Sutton and her husband, Dustin Sutton, who had volunteered as a coach, seeks compensation for loss of earnings, loss of earning capacity, emotional distress, and pain and suffering related to their January termination from the now-shuttered religious school.
