Tennessee pastor charged with attempted rape of a 12-year-old girl

PALMER, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee pastor accused of trying to rape a 12-year-old girl has been indicted.

District Attorney Mike Taylor tells WRCB-TV that a Grundy County jury indicted 48-year-old William E. “Tim” Smith Jr. this week, more than a month after Grundy County deputies reported catching him inappropriately touching the girl.

After Smith’s June 1 arrest, Sheriff Clint Shrum says investigators found the Palmer Church of God pastor and the girl in a remote wooded area in his truck.

Investigators also found several different pills in a pill bottle.

Smith is charged with attempted rape of a child, aggravated sexual battery and possession of a controlled substance. It’s unclear whether he has a lawyer.

The Tennessee Church of God State Offices said in June that Smith had been suspended.