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Published on January 11, 2025
Midland County Pastor Rejects Plea Deal in Alleged Child Sex Crimes, Opts for Jury TrialSource: Google Street View

Rev. James Randolph, a pastor from Midland County's Living Word International Church, has turned down a plea deal in connection with multiple charges of criminal sexual conduct involving a child, opting instead to face trial. Randolph, 58, refused the prosecution's offer which included pleading guilty to lesser charges—three counts of second-degree and two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct—meant to replace two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, ABC12 reported.

The rejected deal suggested a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison and mandatory sex offender registration; however, now facing a trial on all seven counts, the consequences include the possibility of life imprisonment, the necessity to register as a sex offender a foregone conclusion of the dire tableau, also noted in coverage by WNEM. According to this source, Randolph has a past conviction from the '80s for a sexual offense involving a 15-year-old girl and is presently on administrative leave from his role within Mark Barclay Ministries.

During a hearing over Zoom on Thursday, Randolph's lawyer, Nicole Blank Becker, stated, "We have discussed (the offer) frontwards and backwards and we are going to trial." This puts Randolph's fate in the hands of a jury trial scheduled for August 25 in Midland County Circuit Court, as reported by Midland Daily News. Randolph's previous conviction, which involved a disabled teenager, resulted in imprisonment from 1984 to 1993 for third-degree criminal sexual conduct in Jackson, Michigan.