Crystal Springs, MS – A pastor from Copiah County is facing serious charges related to multiple sex crimes, including statutory rape and child exploitation.

Christopher Willett, a minister at First Presbyterian Church in Crystal Springs, was taken into custody on Tuesday after police executed multiple arrest warrants. Authorities have charged him with statutory rape, sexual battery, unnatural intercourse, computer luring, and possession of child pornography. Officials have also indicated that additional charges may be forthcoming.

Willett is currently being held at the Copiah County Jail as the investigation continues.

According to the church’s website, Willett has been serving as the senior pastor since October 2020. Before that, he worked for five years at Pinewood Presbyterian Church in Middleburg, Florida, as a pastoral intern and assistant pastor. He later spent three years as the senior pastor of Columbia Presbyterian Church in Columbia, Mississippi.

Law enforcement has not released further details on the case, but the allegations have sent shockwaves through the community. Church members and local residents are awaiting further updates as the legal process unfolds.