A South Carolina pastor and his wife have been arrested at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry weeks after they went on the run amid an investigation into sex abuse allegations, police say.
Myron Chorbajian, a 73-year-old pastor at 1st Southern Methodist Church in Greenville, South Carolina — about a three-hour drive northwest of Charleston — and his wife Kathleen Chorbajian, 70, were found 347 miles away from home at the popular music venue in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 15, Fox Carolina reported, citing police documents.
The couple was arrested near a Dave & Buster’s arcade, the police documents said.
According to Nashville police, the Chorbajians had fugitive from justice warrants out of South Carolina for a case involving alleged sex abuse. The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said that the sex abuse allegations involved their biological and adoptive children.
The couple had one biological daughter and seven adopted children. Two of the children are now dead, according to Fox Carolina.
An investigation into the couple was launched last month after one of the victims reported “extensive abuse that occurred in the family home,” police said. The abuse started in the 1980s, according to the report. The Chorbajian’s male children suffered physical abuse and the female children suffered sexual abuse, police said.
Following their arrest, the couple was taken to the Greenville County Detention Center. There are both being held without bond.
Myron Chorbajian has been charged with three counts of 2nd-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of incest, among other charges. Kathleen Chorbajian stands accused of 14 counts of unlawfully placing a child at risk or harm and two counts of accessory to a felony.
Myron has been frequently featured giving sermons on his church’s Facebook page.
The most recent post was from April 29. It was a video of a sermon in which Myron asked, “Are you a Christian by convenience or are you a Christian by conviction?”
The Independent has reached out to Myron’s church for comment.
