Former church intern pleads not guilty to solicitation of minor charges

JACKSON, Tenn. — A former intern at a local church pleaded not guilty Tuesday morning to charges of solicitation of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Heath Ransom, 21, appeared in Madison County Circuit Court to enter a plea of not guilty to 13 counts of both solicitation of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor and also one count of tampering with evidence.

Police say Ransom was an intern at Englewood Baptist Church and was involved with members of the church youth group. Church administration said he was immediately terminated once they learned of the allegations.

Court documents say the inappropriate contact started in May 2015 and continued through March of this year. At least two of the four alleged victims are male juveniles, according to the indictment, which led to Ransom’s arrest last week.

A Union University spokesperson confirmed Ransom is a student and that he has been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.

Ransom’s attorney, Daniel Taylor, said he just started working on the case and it is too early to say how it will be resolved. He also said the hearing next month will be the first opportunity to discuss the status of the case in court.

Ransom’s next court appearance is set for Aug. 8. He is free on a $50,000 bond.