A 54-year-old former Waynesburg church employee already jailed on child sex abuse charges is now facing a new round of accusations, including human trafficking and incest, after another alleged victim came forward this week. Scott Hughes, who served as pastor at Pleasant View Baptist Church in Lincoln County, was charged on Thursday with Human Trafficking – Commercial Sexual Activity involving a victim under 18, Incest of a Person Under 18 by a Person Three or More Years Older, and Sodomy in the Second Degree involving a position of authority.
The additional charges, detailed in a Pulaski County Sheriff's Office post, came after investigators conducted another interview with an alleged victim who reported sexual abuse by Hughes beginning when that victim was about 10 years old, with the abuse allegedly continuing for several years, according to FOX 56 News. Hughes was first arrested at his Somerset home on October 1 after deputies received information about alleged sexual contact between him and minor victims, and he was lodged in the Pulaski County Detention Center on an initial $75,000 bond, per the station's report.
Allegations Date Back More Than a Decade
Hughes's initial arrest stemmed from charges of first-degree sexual abuse, second-degree sodomy, and third-degree sodomy tied to alleged acts beginning in 2018 in Pulaski County. Since then, the case has widened considerably. An adult also reported additional allegations to investigators, describing alleged sexual abuse by Hughes between 2012 and 2013 while that person was a minor, in a location outside Pulaski County — conduct that authorities said was referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency for jurisdictional review, per the same account.
The criminal investigation has been assigned to Detective Jay Picard of the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division, which handles specialized felony crimes against children. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office at 606-678-5145.
A History of Trusted Positions Across Two Counties
Before leading Pleasant View Baptist Church, which sits along Kentucky Highway 1247 in Waynesburg just north of the Pulaski County line, Hughes served as senior pastor at Eubank Baptist Church in northern Pulaski County, according to the Heart of Kentucky Baptist Association. That tenure placed him in positions of religious authority on both sides of the county boundary where the alleged abuse unfolded.
Hughes also worked outside the church. From May 2022 through June 2024, he was employed by Sunrise Children's Services in its Adolescent Alcohol and Other Drug Entity program in Bronston, a role that put him in direct contact with vulnerable youth in a therapeutic setting. Sunrise Children's Services, a child-welfare organization affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention that has provided care across the state for more than 150 years, said on October 2 that it maintained standard hiring procedures, including reference and criminal background checks, when it employed Hughes, and that it is fully cooperating with law enforcement.
Church Responds With Administrative Leave
Pleasant View Baptist Church placed Hughes on administrative leave effective October 2, relieving him of all pastoral duties following his arrest. The move came one day after deputies took him into custody, as the investigation into allegations spanning multiple years and jurisdictions continued to expand.
The case now touches at least two counties and, according to reports relayed to investigators, conduct dating back to 2012. With Thursday's added charges, the legal exposure facing Hughes has grown well beyond the original allegations tied to 2018, and authorities have signaled that additional victims and jurisdictions could still factor into how the case unfolds.
