A Georgia pastor who generated a firestorm of controversy after he tweeted that “homosexuals got what they deserved” after the deadly massacre at Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub, was sentenced to 35 years to life for aggravated child molestation Tuesday morning.

Shortly after the Pulse nightclub attack, Kenneth Adkins tweeted, “been through so much with these Jacksonville homosexuals that I don’t see none of them as victims. I see them as getting what they deserve.”

Adkins, 56, later walked back his comments, saying he wasn’t referring to the shooting victims, but instead his tweet was “strictly meant for the Jacksonville group that has made my life a living hell” since he served on the community discussion panel.

He had also fought against the expansion of non-discrimination protections for LGBT people in Jacksonville, Florida, by dressing in drag and making bizarre threats on Facebook, saying, “I am gonna ‘pee’ next to your women in the women’s bathroom and let’s see how y’all feel.”

Earlier this month, Adkins was been found guilty of eight counts of child molestation of a young boy and girl who attended his church.

Adkins must serve a minimum of 35 years in prison, with the rest served on probation. He also faces up to 20 years for every additional charge, all to run concurrently.

Savannah Now adds:



He was convicted of grooming two teens — youths he was supposed to be mentoring — to have sexual intercourse first in front of him so he could judge if they were doing it properly to eventually joining in on the acts himself. Last week the jury saw two photographs of Adkins’ penis that he sent his male accuser in 2014. And they saw several electronic messages sent between Adkins and the female.Five of the charges he’s guilty of relate to the female who denied anything of the sort happened. She lived with Adkins and his wife until about a month after his arrest.

“She’s in his clutches,” said Assistant District Attorney Katie Gropper. “What he has done to that girl is not only criminal, it is deplorable.”

The male told the jury last week that Adkins watched them have sex so many times that he lost track. He said the sex — in the presence of Adkins occurred in the church office, at the beach and in Adkins’ car. The male, according to testimony presented during the trial, initially told an Army investigator that his girlfriend was 16 and he was 15 when the activity first began. On the witness stand, the young man said his then-girlfriend was 15. Sixteen is the age of consent in Georgia.





