KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A pastor ministering in Sweetwater has been arrested and charged with failing to register as a sex offender from another state.
Jerry Lee Anderson, 46, was arrested Tuesday by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals' Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force, according to John Sanchez of the Marshals Service.
Anderson has previously been convicted in Arkansas of sexual assault in the second degree.
According to the Kentucky State Sex Offender Registry, Anderson is required to register as a sex offender due to the Arkansas conviction, according to Sanchez.
Authorities arrested Anderson about 4 p.m. Tuesday after finding him sleeping in the Eagles Rest Church in Sweetwater, according to Sanchez.
He was being held at the Monroe County Jail pending a court appearance.
According to a release from the Marshals Service on Wednesday, a Monroe County Sheriff's Office investigation found that "Anderson had been the headline minister at “The Prophetic Crusade” Christian revival held at the Eagles Rest Church in Sweetwater from September 1st to the 13th."
He was living at or near the church. He'd failed to register as a sex offender with local authorities.
Sheriff Tommy Jones thanked the Marshals Service for its help in the case.
