BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — A former First Apostolic Church of Maryville employee was sentenced to six years in prison Wednesday as part of a plea deal, according to Blount County District Attorney Ryan Desmond.
Joseph Kade Abbott was sentenced to serve the entire term, with no parole, and will have to register as a sex offender, Desmond said.
Abbott is accused of having sexual conduct with minors in both Blount and Sevier counties.
The Blount County Sheriff's Office said last January that Abbott was accused of sexual misconduct with a 14-year-old girl and arrested him for sexual battery as an authority figure.
In March 2023, a Sevier County grand jury indicted Abbott on charges of having sexual contact with a child that was at least 13-years-old in Sevier County.
A civil lawsuit filed in 2023 connected to Abbott's charges claimed that the First Apostolic Church of Maryville and the Apostolic Christian Academy "exhibited an extreme degree of negligence" when supervising staff and students, which endangered children there.
It asked the church and Abbott to pay the minor a total of $3 million and asked them to pay the parents a total of $1.5 million.
An attorney for First Apostolic Church released a statement about the lawsuit in 2023.
"Joseph Abbott is no longer employed by Apostolic Christian Academy. We cannot comment on matters involving pending litigation. Our prayers are with everyone involved."