Lawton police arrested James Lamont Newton, the 53-year-old founder of Another Chance Outreach Ministries, after executing a search warrant on Oct. 21. He now faces 15 felony counts, including five counts each of first-degree rape by force or fear, lewd or indecent acts involving a child under 16, and sodomy by force or fear. His longtime assistant and security officer, Jimmy Lamont Butler, 52, was charged with accessory to a felony in connection with the same investigation.
Newton appeared in Comanche County District Court, where he was held on a $5 million cash-only bond, according to The Roys Report. Butler appeared in court Friday and was held on $250,000 bond. If convicted, Newton faces up to life in prison, while Butler faces up to four years, according to KSWO.
Allegations Span More Than a Decade
The Lawton Police Department began investigating after allegations surfaced in September that Newton sexually assaulted two juvenile males, per the station's report. The first reported incident in the current case occurred in 2010, with several additional instances of alleged abuse reported from that time through 2023, the outlet noted. Lawton Police Detective Sedona Warren began investigating on Sept. 9, according to the probable cause affidavit cited by The Roys Report.
One accuser, now 28, told investigators Newton first touched him sexually when he was 12 and that the abuse escalated during adolescence, continuing into adulthood, per the affidavit. The accuser said Newton sexually penetrated him when he was 16 and alleged that Newton told him “to allow God” to guide his hands. The accuser further alleged that Newton recorded explicit images of him and used gifts, money and his church status to maintain influence over him.
Detective Warren alleged that Newton used religious teachings, guilt, threats, public humiliation and physical violence to control the accuser, per the affidavit cited by The Roys Report. The allegations involve juvenile males who encountered Newton through Another Chance Outreach Ministries, where he had access to children through church services, youth activities, vacation Bible studies, trips and sporting events, according to reporting attributed to the Lawton Constitution. Newton's ministry biography identifies him as founder and pastor of Another Chance as well as presiding prelate of Prophetic Judah Kingdom International, and he has used the title apostle.
Butler Accused of Acting as a 'Gatekeeper'
Investigators allege Butler knew about the abuse, drove victims to Newton, and helped keep others out of rooms while abuse was occurring, according to KSWO. The affidavit described Butler as a gatekeeper who helped sustain conditions in which the abuse could continue, per The Roys Report. Investigators separately allege Butler helped Newton access and isolate potential victims.
The Lawton Police Department said the investigation remains ongoing, as reported by Texoma's Homepage. That outlet described Newton's charges as five counts of rape in the first degree and five counts involving lewd acts and oral sodomy, a characterization that differs somewhat from KSWO's breakdown of the same 15 counts; court records were not independently reviewed to resolve the discrepancy. Prosecutors are working with new witnesses who have come forward with additional allegations, according to The Roys Report.
A Case That Collapsed Decades Earlier
This is not the first time Newton has faced sexual abuse allegations in Lawton. Lawton police began investigating allegations against him in April 1998 after receiving a complaint, according to a 1999 report from The Oklahoman. At the time, police said there were three different victims, two of them teenagers, and the paper reported that Newton also allegedly molested a 4-year-old boy. Newton, then 25 and leading Another Chance Outreach Ministries Inc., was charged with one count of lewd molestation in February 1999 and released on a $3,000 bond.
That 1999 case was ultimately dismissed, reportedly after allegations were recanted and prosecutors raised concerns about conflicting statements, according to reporting attributed to the Lawton Constitution. Lawton Police Detective John Whittington said at the time that Newton's church stood solidly behind him, with the congregation believing he was untouchable and that investigators were fabricating the claims, per The Oklahoman. Whittington also said Newton prepared his congregation for the allegations by teaching them how to interpret news before it broke, telling them Satan was sending someone to bring him down. Whittington added that Newton knew police had been investigating him, and Fort Sill soldiers separately alleged that Newton made inappropriate sexual advances toward them, according to the same 1999 account.
Investigators Revisit the Old Reports
As part of the current case, investigators noted the two previous reports from 1998 and 1999 and are examining whether those incidents showed patterns of conduct matching the new allegations, per KSWO. Police said people associated with those earlier reports became uncooperative, and information gathered during the current investigation indicated they may have been offered money or other consideration in exchange for not cooperating. The Roys Report states that the 2026 charges are unrelated to the 1999 charge, even as investigators examine whether the decades-old reports fit a broader pattern.
Newton is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 4 p.m. on Jan. 22, 2027, according to The Roys Report. Reporting on the earlier case drew on court records shared with the outlet by Scott Rains, a reporter for the Lawton Constitution, since the Comanche County Court Clerk's Office said public records requests can only be answered through the U.S. Postal Service. The article citing those records and the affidavit was authored by Mark A. Kellner for The Roys Report.
