John Marchant Stabbert, 51, was ordered to appear in Pierce County Superior Court this week as prosecutors press forward on four counts of first-degree rape of a child tied to alleged abuse in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Stabbert is the son of longtime Fellowship Bible Church pastor Bruce Stabbert, and the case has pushed leaders at the Tacoma church to alert police and pull him from all church duties.
Charges and court filings
Charging papers show prosecutors formally filed four counts of first-degree rape of a child on June 22, focusing on alleged incidents between 1997 and 2001. Local coverage and court documents report that the alleged victims were younger than 12 at the time. As The News Tribune has noted, the Pierce County case file indicates prosecutors brought multiple counts after investigators gathered witness statements.
What elders told police
According to police records reviewed by reporters, several elders at Fellowship Bible Church confronted Stabbert at a meeting on Dec. 30, 2025. Those elders later told investigators that Stabbert looked over a list of alleged victims and corrected the sequence in which he said the abuse occurred. As reported by KIRO 7, witnesses recounted that Stabbert acknowledged inappropriate contact but told the elders, “But I’ve changed.” Police documents cited in local reporting say multiple witnesses provided accounts that investigators described as consistent.
Church response and fallout
Leaders at Fellowship Bible Church told reporters they took the allegations to law enforcement, removed Stabbert from church-related roles and have been cooperating with investigators while trying to support survivors. A church spokesperson also confirmed that Bruce Stabbert stepped down as an elder and gave up his membership after disagreements over how the church handled the accusations, according to The News Tribune. Public statements from the church, as carried in local coverage, say the congregation is now emphasizing care for survivors, along with stronger safety measures and greater transparency.
Legal context
Under Washington law, rape of a child in the first degree is a class A felony, which carries the possibility of lengthy prison terms and tight sentencing rules. The crime is defined in RCW 9A.44.073. In 2019 state lawmakers removed many statutes of limitation for child sex offenses on a going-forward basis, although that change does not revive cases that were already time-barred, a reform detailed in reporting by KUOW.
What’s next
Stabbert is expected in court for arraignment this week, although local outlets have noted conflicting dates in public records. KIRO 7 reports a scheduled arraignment on July 16, 2026, and says court documents warn that a warrant will be issued if he does not appear, while earlier coverage cited records listing July 17, 2026. At the time the local reports were published, prosecutors and defense attorneys had not made public statements, leaving court filings and police documents as the main sources for the allegations and the current calendar of hearings.
