President of Montreat College Resigns, Investigated for Soliciting Child Sex

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President of Montreat College resigns as police investigate allegations
Last Wednesday, John S. Lindberg resigned as president of Montreat College, a North Carolina Christian school associated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He had held the job for only two months, so some suspicions were raised when a college press release said only that he was leaving "completely for personal reasons."

This week, those personal reasons were revealed: a 13-year-old girl has accused him of soliciting sex over the Internet.

"The individual that was communicating knew that the victim was 13, or less than 15," Stephen Hampton, Chief of the Statesville Police Department, told Charlotte television station WCNC. "There are no indications they knew one another prior to his contact with her via the Internet."

Police said they are convinced that the e-mail was sent from his Internet address, but no charges have yet been filed.

Yesterday, a judge sealed court documents related to the investigation, including the search warrant "until an arrest warrant is issued, or until a true bill of indictment is returned by the Grand Jury."

The college said they didn't know about the investigation. "We are learning of this investigation at the same time as everyone else," interim president Don King said.

Whether Lindberg is either arrested or cleared, Weblog will of course follow up on this very sad story.

Ten Commandments:

Court upholds Ten Commandments plaque on courthouse | The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals said a reasonable person familiar with the Chester County plaque's history would regard the decision to leave it in place as religiously neutral, rather than evangelical (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)