Judge upholds sexual assault charges against former Duluth youth pastor – Duluth News Tribune

DULUTH — A judge has upheld all charges against a former youth pastor accused of sexually assaulting five girls.

Jackson Michael Gatlin, 36, of Duluth, is scheduled to face five trials on 10 counts of first- through fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

The former pastoral assistant at the Vineyard Church in Kenwood’s neighborhood rejected a plea deal this year from prosecutors and instead entered a no contest plea to charges in four of the five cases.

In denying that motion last month, Judge Dale Harris also granted a motion by the St. Louis County prosecutor’s office that would allow prosecutors to present evidence of other alleged crimes and misconduct against Gatlin at any trial.

In addition to the five victims, police investigated the pastor’s actions against five other teenage girls, court records show — cases that did not meet the criteria for sexual assault and could not be charged.

Still, Harris wrote, the body of evidence points to “striking similarities in his modus operandi” and “a pattern of abuse toward these young girls.”

“All of the victims reported that (Gatlin) touched their genitals, chests or buttocks at about their age,” the judge said in a 30-page order. “The defendant knew all of the victims because they attended the same church as he did. All of the assaults occurred in St. Louis County.

“In addition, all of the victims reported a culture at the church in which (Gatlin) was untouchable because his parents were senior pastors and his mother was responsible for his discipline, if at all. There was a consistent perception that the defendant was immune to consequences because of the status of his parents.”

Accusations of inappropriate behavior by Gatlin were first made to another church leader in October 2022 and reported to the Duluth Police Department the following month. An outside organization was also hired by a church committee to investigate.

Following an investigation that garnered significant public attention, police identified five alleged victims who said they were between the ages of 11 and 16 when they were abused by Gatlin:

• One was 16 when she said Gatlin invited her to his home, took her phone, pulled down her pants and sexually assaulted her. She said she escaped by running barefoot down the street and hiding.
• Another was 16 when Gatlin picked her up from school and took her home, tying her to a bed. She reported that Gatlin tried to rape her and ignored her pleas to stop, causing her “intense pain.”
• A third woman reported a series of incidents when she was 15 or 16 years old. She said Gatlin regularly gave her rides home from youth group meetings and would “make out” with her and fondle her.
• Another woman said her inappropriate behavior began in high school, recalling an incident that occurred during a bus ride to the Twin Cities when Gatlin allegedly reached into his shorts and put her hand on his genitals.
• A fifth testified that Gatlin helped her sneak into the basement of his parents’ home, where they had sex several times when she was 14 or 15.

Harris in his recent ruling said the prosecution had clearly established the ages of the victims and Gatlin in all relevant circumstances.

Although many of the crimes allegedly occurred off church property, the judge found Gatlin still exercised authority over the girls — including the fifth victim, with whom he reportedly had an “open relationship.”

Harris also ruled that the first victim’s claims were not barred by the statute of limitations, as the defense argued. Despite reporting the incident to her mother, who in turn told Gatlin’s mother, it was not reported to police until 2022.

The judge found that prosecuting the bus accident perpetrators is also appropriate in St. Louis County because court rules allow for prosecution of crimes committed while on public transportation in any county through which they pass.

Harris outlined five other counts contained in the investigation file that he said would be admissible at any trial to prove “motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident.”

According to summarized police reports:

• Police learned that Gatlin had been openly dating another girl when she was 15 or 16 and that they had sex “without intercourse.” However, that victim died.
• Investigators spoke with another witness who said Gatlin had been in a relationship with her friend when she was in sixth grade. The woman hesitated to provide details, citing a desire to protect her friend, but indicated she witnessed inappropriate behavior.
• Another woman told investigators that Gatlin wrote to her almost daily when she was 13 or 14, professing his love and wanting to marry her. But she rejected his advances, blocking his number and leaving her church youth group.
• Another person said she was 16 when Gatlin texted her about his sexual preferences. She said he once picked her up from school and brought her to his house, where he tied her up with shoelaces. She asked him to stop, which he did, and he later apologized to her.
• The last person reported that she was warned about Gatlin’s interest in young girls and, after a period of grooming, he tried to have sex with her at one point while she was in high school. She also rejected his advances.

Harris noted that all 10 alleged victims were fairly close in age, that all of the conduct occurred about six years apart, and that many of the cases had similar details about the alleged molestation and assault by Gatlin.

“The similarity of the additional claims certainly rebuts the contention that any of the alleged victims are fabricating their claims,” the judge wrote.

Gatlin, who remains out on parole after posting $50,000 bail, is due back in court July 18. No court dates have been set.

Tom Olsen has covered crime, courts and the 8th Congressional District for the Duluth News Tribune since 2013. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth and a longtime resident of the city. Readers can contact Olsen at 218-723-5333 or [email protected].