A Louisiana pastor has been charged with raping a child, just weeks after he left his church and fled the state.
Shane Phillip Wiggins was picked up by police in Texas earlier this month after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was wanted on charges of first degree rape and molestation of a child.
According to Morgan City Police, in December, deputies received a complaint from a mother of a child who accused Wiggins of inappropriate behavior with the juvenile stemming from an incident that occurred in the past few years.
Officers spoke to the victim and several witnesses during the investigation, but Wiggins refused to be interviewed. A judge later issued a warrant for his arrest, but detectives learned he had moved residence and was no longer contactable by phone.
Chris Holloway, senior pastor of Little Pass Baptist Church, told the Baptist Press that Wiggins had abandoned the congregation of Baldwin Baptist Mission Church at least as early as the first Sunday in February.
“Shane left town around the first of February,” Holloway told the outlet via email. “My last conversation with him was on Jan. 28, 2025.” He said Wiggins had previously served as pastor of the Baldwin Baptist Mission Church prior to 2011 and had returned in 2015.
Following a collaboration with Texas police, Wiggins was located in Paris, Texas, where he was notified of the arrest warrant and placed under arrest.
Wiggins was then transported to jail in Lamar County, where he awaits court proceedings for extradition.
In his email to the Baptist Press, Holloway added: “We at Little Pass condemn the alleged crimes by Shane Wiggins and wholeheartedly pray for the victim in this matter as well as the family. We trust God to bring healing and restoration to them.
“We pray as well for Shane Wiggins and his family – praying for a genuine repentance to capture his heart.”
