Pastor charged with sexually abusing children
Jackson County Sheriff's Office provided a picture of Virgil Lee Marsh. Prosecutors charged the Independence pastor with sexually abusing two women when they were under the age of 14.
By Heidi Schmidt
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INDEPENDENCE, Missouri (KCTV) — An Independence pastor admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with two young girls, according to court documents.
Prosecutors charged Virgil L. Marsh with one count of first-degree statutory sodomy and two counts of first-degree child molestation involving two girls under the age of 14 who attended his church between 2011 and 2018.
According to the probable cause statement, Virgil told police he “asked for forgiveness from God, and he is no longer the man who had previously done things to the victims.”
Independence police arrested Marsh outside his residence on Dec. 5, 2023, but the investigation into child abuse claims against him began months earlier.
In May, a woman told investigators that Marsh sexually assaulted her years previously while she stayed at his home overnight. The alleged abuse took place in 2011, when the woman attended Marsh’s church.
The woman reported Marsh got into his hot tub with her and inappropriately touch her. She also said Marsh “consistently” groped her and kissed her on the mouth. The alleged victim also reported to the detective that Marsh got into bed with her one night.
At one point, the alleged victim told another person who lived in the home with Marsh. That triggered a meeting between the victim, her parents, and Marsh. The alleged victim told Independence police that Marsh apologized and cried during the meeting, but that the inappropriate contact involving Marsh continued.
Court documents show a second alleged victim came forward several days after the initial reports about Marsh.
According to the probable cause statement, the second alleged victim described a similar relationship with Marsh that involved inappropriate contact. The victim said the abuse took place at Marsh’s home between 2016 and 2018, when she was eight and nine years old.
The court paperwork shows Marsh admitted to some of the allegations during an interview with police. He said he inappropriately touched the first victim and had gone too far. He also admitted touching her while she slept in his spare bedroom, according to the probable cause statement.
Marsh made his first appearance in court on the charges Thursday. He will be back in court for a judge to review his bond on Dec. 12.
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