SHALIMAR — The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office today charged a Shalimar man with lewd or lascivious battery on a person 12 to 16 years of age.
Larry Michael Thorne, 53, a chaplain at Abundant Life Church, is accused of committing the sexual acts on numerous occasions between Jan. 1, 2012 and Nov. 11, 2014.
The victim says the relationship began with mutual massages when she was 14 and then escalated into sexual activity. Thorne admitted buying the victim a phone and paying for her phone service, but denies any sexual contact with the teen, according to the OCSO.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Church chaplain charged with lewd acts