TN ‘Pastor’ charged with tying up, assaulting school girl in home garage

A Henderson, Tennessee, pastor is accused of tying up a woman in his garage and sexually assaulting her. He entered a “not guilty” plea on Tuesday.

WBBJ reports that Mike Ulmer, a pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church and a teaching assistant at Chester County High School, is charged with two felony counts of rape and one felony count of sexual battery. Troy Kilzer, the Director of Schools, stated that Ulmer was suspended without pay on February 17, amid the sexual assault allegations made by an 18-year-old student.

Kilzer, who said Ulmer mainly worked with in-school suspension students, was shocked when he heard Ulmer’s charges.

“It was a shock to us as well, a shock to many others who have heard. When we did find out that this is information that we trust as a reliable source, we did not hesitate to act upon it.”

The victim told detectives that Ulmer, her pastor, gave her a ride from Chester County High School to his home February 16. The 18-year-old said she cleaned Ulmer’s home as after-school job.

When they arrived to his house off of Glendale Road, Ulmer allegedly told the student to go to his garage, where he tied her hands together, pulled down her pants, and sexually assaulted her. The victim emphasized that Ulmer’s actions were done without her consent.

According to Ulmer’s lawyer, Mark Donahoe, his client “did nothing wrong.”

“We treat every case as serious, but certainly this is a serious allegation. We maintain at this point that he did nothing wrong.”

Ulmer is out of jail on a $250,000 bond, but the judge ordered him to have no contact with the victim or her family. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 9.

[Feature Photo: Henderson Sheriff’s Office]