A former Lexington megachurch pastor has pled guilty to raping and sodomizing a 15-year-old girl.
Zachary King 48, former executive pastor at LexCity Church, pled guilty in Fayette County to first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse, third-degree rape, third-degree sodomy, unlawful transaction with a minor (victim under 18), and unlawful use of electronic means to induce a minor to engage in sexual or prohibited activity.
As part of a plea deal, King received a recommended sentence of 13 years and must register as a lifetime sex offender, according to the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office.
The victim attended King’s church, as the abuse occurred between January 2023 and April 2024. According to court documents, King restrained her on one occasion to rape and sodomize her and on at least one other occasion raped and sodomized her, the attorney general’s office said.
King, who resigned his position after being confronted about his behavior by parishioners, admitted to having sex with the girl at her home, his home, his car, and at the church.
A Fayette County Grand Jury indicted King in August 2024.
At one point, LexCity Church boasted 5,000 members, according to The Roys Report.com. The church closed its doors following King being charged.
“This so-called pastor’s abuse of his position of spiritual trust to prey on a young victim was heartbreaking,” Attorney General Russell Coleman said when announcing King’s guilty plea. “We are sending this predator to prison to protect more Kentuckians from horrific abuse.”
The Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigations investigated the case with support from the Lexington Police Department.
King will be formally sentenced on June 4.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
