The pastor joined his lawyer for a press conference, denouncing the charges.
GRIFFIN, Ga. — A Griffin pastor now facing false imprisonment charges, along with his wife, is disputing the allegations. Griffin Police say 55-year-old Curtis Bankston, the founder of One Step Faith Ministries, and his wife, Sophia Simms Bankston, were using their home as an unlicensed group home, where seven to eight people ranging in age from 23 to 65 were being kept.
Curtis is now facing false imprisonment charges. His wife was arrested Thursday morning and is also facing false imprisonment charges. On Thursday afternoon, hours after his wife's arrest, Curtis joined his lawyer and other pastors for a news conference, denouncing the charges.
According to police, most if not all of the individuals were mentally or physically disabled and could not care for themselves. Last week, Griffin Fire responded to the home on Valley Road for a patient having a seizure. Firefighters found the door to the basement was dead-bolted and they needed to go through a window to reach the patient in the basement. Based on what they saw, the fire department then called Griffin Police.
After obtaining and executing a search warrant, it was determined Curtis Bankston, with help from his wife, was responsible for locking the individuals in the home's basement at certain times, according to police.
In a statement, Bankston's attorney, Dexter Wimbish, claimed the reports from police are "fraught with misinformation."
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