MEMPHIS, Tennessee — A violent sex offender is now facing charges after police say he exposed himself in a church soup kitchen.
Willie Edwards is listed as a violent sex offender on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry for offenses dating back to 1989.
Edwards was working in the kitchen at St. John’s United Methodist Church when he exposed himself to a female worker January 27.
Edwards is charged with violation of community supervision for life.
The following alert was sent to church members several weeks after the incident and after the church learned a news outlet was going to report what happened:
Friends,
We are writing to share some timely and upsetting news.
An unfortunate incident occurred at St. John’s involving our member, Willie Edwards. Willie has been a member of our church since October, and he has helped in both our Saturday soup kitchen and on Tuesdays when Rhodes College hosts soup kitchen. It was reported to us a couple of weeks ago that Willie was at the Tuesday soup kitchen and exposed his penis to one of the female students. Renee met with the student and the Rhodes Chaplain to hear her story. The student courageously agreed to report the incident to the police. Willie failed to self-report his status to the church, but because of this incident, we discovered that Willie was on the sex offender registry and is still on parole for past offenses. His probation officer was contacted and pursued an affidavit for his arrest.
Because of Willie’s actions, it was agreed that he would not return to the church property. We keep him in our prayers in hopes that he will claim a path toward recovery.
Since the police report and affidavit are public record, the local news is working on a story that may air tonight. We wanted you to have the information from us ahead of that possibility.
This is all of the information we have to share. You are likely surprised and upset, even shocked, especially if you felt like you knew Willie. Let us know if we can be of any help in discussing or processing this news.
“St. John’s has been and will remain a safe place offering the hospitality of the Gospel. We are saddened by the incident that occurred on our campus. While extraordinarily rare, it is serious. We have been and will remain vigilant to provide safe sanctuary to all who come through these doors. We are proud of the victim of the incident and the empowerment she felt to stand up for herself. Our care for her will continue. We also pray for the offender that he find peace and a life of recovery, however his actions on this sacred ground means that he cannot find it here. Our work in servant ministry will continue unabated.”
We will continue to maintain a safe environment for our volunteers and our guests as we offer hospitality and food for our neighbors.
May the Love of God, the Peace of Jesus Christ, and the Presence of the Holy Spirit guide and direct us as we do.
Blessings,
Rev’s Johnny Jeffords and Renee Dillard
