Mark Alesia and Tim Evans

The Indianapolis Star

INDIANAPOLIS — A fundamentalist pastor who used his Baptist church as a virtual employment agency for a multimillion-dollar drug ring, pleaded guilty to two federal charges Tuesday.

Robert Jaynes Jr., 45, pleaded guilty to producing almost 100 tons of synthetic marijuana, known as "spice" or "K2," and conspiracy to commit fraud through mislabeling of the controlled substance. His plea agreement, filed in federal court in St. Louis, said he sold the drugs for $2.6 million.

Prosecutors agreed not to seek a prison sentence of more than 12½ years. Jaynes also agreed to forfeit at least $41,000 and more than 800 pounds of "silver colored" coins and bars, all obtained through the illegal drug operation.

Without the plea, Jaynes faced a maximum of 25 years in prison and a $1.25 million fine.

After Jaynes' plea in federal court, the pastor's brother-in-law, close friend and church member Kirk Parsons, 47, pleaded guilty to the same charges. The details of Parsons' plea deal, however, were kept under seal.

IndyStar investigation: Indy's spice road

Jaynes and Parsons were released on bond and will be sentenced July 8.

Their guilty pleas are the latest twist in a bizarre story. It involved not only the small Irvington Bible Baptist Church and its fire-and-brimstone preacher but an unlikely web of married cops, a former traveling clown who ran for the state Legislature, an Indianapolis Public Schools teacher, bribery and, recently, the suicide of a suspect in jail.

Beyond all that, there are the deep connections of key players — including Jaynes, Doug Sloan and Jason Woods — to Russell Taylor, the former head of Jared Fogle's foundation, who is in prison for child pornography unrelated to the spice ring.

Jaynes and Parsons were among 13 people from multiple states indicted in an international spice ring that reached from New Palestine to China. Jaynes admitted being at the center of an Indiana operation that produced thousands of pounds of spice for the ring.

No charges against Jaynes and Parsons were dropped in exchange for their guilty pleas.

Jaynes founded the Irvington church in 1998. According to court records, Jaynes employed church members in his drug enterprise, and members wrote personal checks to foreign suppliers of illegal substances used to make spice. Some laundered profits through personal bank accounts. Others produced and packaged the drugs at warehouses run by Jaynes and Parsons. One even kept the drug ring's books.

Through it all, Jaynes continued to preach the word of God, fervently imploring his parishioners to turn away from earthly temptations.

Jaynes still is listed as the independent church's registered agent with the Indiana secretary of State. But the church's website lists only an "associate pastor," and it's someone other than Jaynes.

Jaynes, however, was still helping lead the worship at least until late November.

Suicide in jail

Federal charges against Sloan are pending, including allegations that Jaynes "sold, purchased and distributed synthetic drugs to and from" Sloan and his partners. Charges against one Indiana partner of Sloan's were dropped after the man committed suicide in a Seattle prison.

David Neal, of Carmel, Ind., hanged himself Feb. 23, according to the King County, Wash., medical examiner. Court records say Neal, who operated IDK (I Don't Know) Anything LLC, bought more than $240,000 worth of spice from Jaynes and Parsons. Neal and Sloan also were accused of selling drugs for more than $2.2 million and laundering the money through an Indiana business operated by Sloan called Beautiful Cars of Indiana, according to the indictment.

Crooked cop?

Woods, a former Hendricks County sherrif's deputy and a longtime friend of Sloan's and of Jaynes', is accused of six felonies, including bribery and assisting a criminal, in connection with the drug ring. He has a jury trial scheduled June 14.

Woods and his wife, former Hendricks County Deputy Teresa Woods, were arrested in December 2014 on other charges stemming from an investigation into the spice ring. They were previously suspended from their law enforcement jobs, then fired in March 2014.

Jason Woods was arrested again, in January, on the pending charges.

In the new charging documents, prosecutors say Woods used his position as a deputy to provide security for the spice-production operation and escorts when it was relocated to a New Palestine farm from an Indianapolis warehouse.

Authorities say the farm was being used as a spice production facility. Woods and his wife, who were members of Jaynes' church, spent so much time at that farm, authorities said, that neighbors thought a police officer had moved in.

State charges in Hancock County against several other church members, including the wives of Jaynes and Parsons, were deferred after completion of a one-year program.

Follow Mark Alesia and Tim Evans on Twitter: @markalesia, @starwatchtim