Church deacon's wife becomes sixth person charged in Mo. child sex case

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The wife of a church deacon has become the sixth person charged in a case of alleged sex abuse of young girls at two Missouri church communes.

Laura Epling faces one count of statutory sodomy for allegedly helping a church pastor abuse a girl a few years ago when the victim was 15 or 16 years old. The charge was filed Monday in McDonald County.

Laura Epling is the wife of Tom Epling, one of five leaders of two affiliated church communities who face multiple felony counts including statutory sodomy. Prosecutors allege a pattern of sexual abuse going back to the late 1970s against six girls from the congregations.

Laura Epling could not be reached Tuesday for comment. No plea has been entered yet. The other five church leaders have all pleaded not guilty.

Among those charged are the Rev. Raymond Lambert, 51; his wife Patty Lambert, 49; and her brothers, church deacons Paul Epling, 53, and Tom Epling, 51.

Also charged is George Otis Johnston, 63, the uncle of Raymond Lambert and pastor of a church commune in neighboring Newton County that is an offshoot of Lambert's Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church.

The new charge against Laura Epling appeared to be based on court testimony given Monday in Pineville, about 100 miles southwest of Springfield, by one of the alleged victims, a 19-year-old woman who left the church compound in April after growing up there.

She told the court of repeatedly being undressed and fondled by Raymond Lambert from the time she was 12, with the pastor telling her she was serving God by giving her body to him.

On one occasion, the 19-year-old said, Laura Epling walked in when she was performing oral sex on the pastor and showed the victim how to do so, then had intercourse with Lambert while the victim watched.

The hearing on Monday was to determine whether Raymond and Patty Lambert will go to trial on the charges. Circuit Judge Gregory Stremel, assigned to the case from neighboring Newton County, delayed that decision to hear more arguments from both sides.

Prosecutors also dropped a total of seven charges Monday against Paul and Tom Epling because of statute of limitation issues. A hearing on whether they will go on trial on five remaining felony counts was postponed with no date immediately set.