TEXARKANA, Texas -A local pastor facing 18 felony child sex abuse charges is likely to be the first case tried in Bowie County once restrictions on jury selections related to the pandemic are lifted.
Logan Wesley III, 56, appeared before 202nd District Judge John Tidwell for a pretrial hearing Wednesday morning from the Bowie County jail via video conferencing. Wesley's lawyer, Josh Potter of Texarkana, asked the court about a trial setting for Wesley.
Wesley's case was supposed to be presented to a jury this month but the COVID-19 pandemic led to a suspension of jury selections across the state of Texas. Tidwell told Potter he is waiting for the state's highest court to lift the suspension and thinks there is a possibility jury selection could occur in late June.
First Assistant District Attorney Kelley Crisp said the state sought and was granted a motion to consolidate all of the cases pending against Logan and have a single jury decide the outcomes. Three different indictments accuse Wesley of 18 felony counts involving three alleged victims.
Crisp said the court may need to have hearings to address the admissibility of testimony regarding alleged criminal conduct by Wesley, which is believed to have occurred in other jurisdictions such as Miller County, Ark., where the church Logan headed is located.
Wesley allegedly used his position as pastor of Trinity Temple Church of God in Christ in Texarkana, Ark., to sexually abuse young girls and is accused of sexually abusing girls to whom he is related, according to probable cause affidavits. A notice recently filed by Crisp alleges that Wesley has victimized other girls and women, used his position in the church to extort sexual encounters and that Wesley's wife knew of the abuse and acted to conceal it.
Wesley's bail is set at $1.25 million.