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June 12, 2012 11:37 AM

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Daughter of Creflo Dollar, megachurch pastor, says alleged abuse 'was not the first time' during 911 call

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

Police charged megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar with misdemeanor counts of simple battery and cruelty to children for allegedly punching and choking his 15-year-old daughter

/ AP Photo/Fayette County Sheriff's Office

(CBS) COLLEGE PARK, Ga. - The 15-year-old daughter of megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar Jr., who told an emergency dispatcher she was punched and choked by her televangelist father, also said she felt "threatened" in the house and "it was not the first time it's happened," according to an audio recording of the 911 call.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the 15-year-old girl, whose name is not released because she is a minor, told a Fayette County 911 operator Friday morning that her father "punched" and "choked" her. She said she and her father argued when he wouldn't allow her to attend a party.

After a brief investigation at the Dollar family's home on Sandy Creek Road, Fayette Sheriff's deputies arrested the 50-year-old reverend and charged him with simple battery, family violence and cruelty to children. Dollar was released on $5,000 bond later Friday morning.

Dollar denied the accusations Sunday from the pulpit of his megachurch, World Changers Church International, saying "all is well In the Dollar household" and "he should have never been arrested," the AJC reported. He said the abrasions seen on his daughter's neck were remnants from a case of eczema.

According to an incident report, 19-year-old Alexandria Dollar told police her younger sister was telling the truth. She said her father "put both hands around her sister's neck and choked her for about five seconds" and then grabbed the 15-year-old by the shoulders and slapped her in the face.

Deputies wrote in the incident report that Alexandria had to change her initial story "due to her parents being outside with her while she was writing it," according to the AJC. After being separated from her parents, Alexandria produced a statement consistent with her original account, the report stated.

Dollar said the incident was part of the devil's plan to "discredit" his ministry, the AJC reported.

"Malicious witnesses testify against me," he said, reading from Psalms 35 in the Old Testament. "They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about ... May those who rejoice in my discomfort be humiliated and disgraced."

More on Crimesider:
June 8, 2012 - Creflo Dollar, Megachurch pastor, arrested for battery
June 11, 2012 - Creflo Dollar, megachurch pastor, denies attacking daughter

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by ressiecup105 June 25, 2012 12:01 PM EDT: Sometimes we can read something and the best response that can be given is "WOW". It is sad that this situation has happen, whether it may be true or not. I sat and read all of the comments that were posted, some for the pastor and some against. I also read a lot that had to do with how to discipline your child.
First let me say this, I am not voicing my opinion to tear anyone down nor to build myself up. It is what it is, just that, my opinion. Now with that being said; No-one was inside of the Dollar household when this happened so therefore no-one actually knows the truth but those that were involved. And instead of fussing, complaining and throwing accusations, we as Christians need to pray. We need to pray for the man of God as well as pray for his children, because obviously there has been some sort of breakdown in the family unit. If the pastor had done what his children said he had done, he was wrong and should be punished, and vice versa if the children have lied on there father, they should assume the same fate. However, we should still pray for the restoration of all that are involved. We have to understand that we tear people down way more that we build them up. The bible says that we have help restore our brethren. I for one did not see any of that in this article nor in any of the posts that followed it.
And as far as disciplining our children, people please. You already know that what works for one does not work for another. But there is a big difference between SPANKING and BEATING. For those that a opposed to spanking your children, that is your right and I wont dispute you on that. But on the other had don't judge those that find it to be useful when it comes to disciplining there children. I understand that we have used the scripture "Spare the rod and spoil the child", until it has become an all too common cliche. So allow me give another scripture that is rarely heard. "Foolishness abounds in the heart of a child but the rod of correction drives it far from thee. That is not to say that talking to and teaching your children does not work, it is just set as additional motivation to do the right thing.; Reply to this comment


by phyllis4yosheka June 21, 2012 4:15 PM EDT: Wake up and smelled the coffee, i called my mom and told her i read where Creflo Dollar got arrested, the first things she told me,"that 15 year old is just trouble,the devil is busy he just in the last 3 week preached a powerful sermon, so i don't care what she said, I told her her sister 19 witness the abused, she studder,then i had to reminded her of the incident where the pastor where we attended church years ago who was known in pentecostal as a great preacher was touching me when he said he wanted to teached me how to drive, but i stood up to him calling him " a big black ugly bear and so on, I told him I'm going to tell my mother and he said "They won't believed you, I told him when i tell my momma she will, then he try to used the word on me "Obey them that have the rule over you", I told him to shut up, when i got out the car i ran to my mother and told her, Do you know i reminded her of what she told me "Don't tell your dad, he will killed him, we will leave the church, at that time i was 10, my mother on the other end was shock,and couldn't say anything on the phone after that to think I came to the church unexpecting b-4 the incident and pus a door open and he had one of the girl was age one legs up and kissing her, no telling how many young girl is had messed with,to this day my father still don't know this happen now that he is ill and can't remember. So you see it happen, People get caught in the man and not God, man is human and he makes mistake, so don't dogged out the child, let the courts handle it, my mon also told me "God word will go forth even if it come out of a hellish mouth, I replied, true, but it don,t exempt him for the wrong he is doing, he has to reap like anyone else in the eyes of God . I study God word and i'm more knowledgable now then ever. you want to know what happen to the preacher, 15 years later he found out he had cancer and so happen his daughter was in a shelter at the time and the new cast came in and so happen they chose to speak to her, it strange, but when its time for you to be exposed its nothing you can do, she told them her father had been molesting her since the age of 5, at that time she was in her 30's, and when it hit T.V, the churches got news of it, at that time I was 30's, sitting in church when they brought it across the pulpit and the first words that they said was " The Devil was busy and trying to destroyed this pastor, but little did they know it was true cause he tried it with me, That story brought back up to my mother kept her mouth shut, Yes you need to prayed for the pastor but not only him his daughter also and keep an open ear and let the courts handle it wuth God as the upper judge over them. He that without sin cast the first stone, let God be the judge.; Reply to this comment


by oommma4eva June 20, 2012 2:02 PM EDT: "Dollar, like Bishop Eddie Long, has built successful ministries on the prosperity gospel, which teaches that God wants to bless the faithful with earthly riches. Ministers in this tradition often hold up their own wealth as evidence that the teaching works."

Hold up...biased much? Dollar, like any number of ministers...why link him to Eddie Long. I don't follow either man, but I've never seen them together preaching. Also, they actually teach that God blesses in all ways. Only one of which is with earthly riches. Earthly peace and clarity or other ways God blesses the faithful. Dollar and other ministers like him preach that a full range of blessings are available from God. Apparently having money is the blessing that causes a problem for people. Clearly it makes more sense to believe in a God that wants people to be poor and suffer. Yeah...that makes a lot of sense. So, so sad...; Reply to this comment

by mlkimble June 19, 2012 7:09 PM EDT

Everyone on here "crying me a river yelling ABUSE" One word STOP IT. Kids these days need correction at home, First and foremost I am not a fan of Rev Creflo Dollar, however dont condemn this man for DISCIPLINING HIS CHILD. If what she says is true, he does need to repent for the anger that might have caused him to result in being too rough with his daughter HOWEVER THE WORLDY FOLK that is running there mouths about "CHURCH FOLK" remember the Bible does say "Spare the rod spoil the child" which means""" If you don't discipline your children you may raise a HELL BOUND, DISRESPECTFUL, RUDE, OBNOXIOUS CHILD THAT EVENTUALLY GROWS INTO A DISCRACE TO SOCIETY!!!!! Get it together and stop crying ABUSE that is why you see so many Maury shows and other talkshows with these DISRESPECTFUL CHILDREN... Thats because the parents have lost their spines and dont want to stand up and discipline which is part of your JOB DESCRIPTION. Years ago this was never an issue, now you got some of the most arrogant disrespectful children out there you know why???hmmmm MAYBE ITS BECAUSE YOU AS A PARENT THINK ITS ABUSE.....WHAT will you do when that so called "baby" of yours rises up one day and stands flat foot and tries to hit you??? will you call it abuse then??? STOP IT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH PROPERLY DISCIPLINING YOUR CHILD without leaving a mark. So dr. Creflo I understand but you ABSOULUTELY cannot be rough with a child but to discipline using force???? Nothing wrong in my book!!!!!!

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by LorriAnne100 July 22, 2012 4:41 PM EDT: Why do people still believe that the saying 'spare the rod, spoil the child' is from the BIBLE? People, it's from an erotic literary work! If the lady didn't use a flogger on her lover, he couldn't perform, and then she would not become pregnant. What a HOOT!


by hharrison22 June 18, 2012 12:27 PM EDT: What he did is not discipline. Physical violence with a child is never justified. Period. If your teenage daughter is physically threatening your safety than call the police. Dollar claims everything is fine in his household. Really? You just got arrested. I'd like to know what your daughters think. My full rant about his abuse is here:
http://www.themommypsychologist.com/2012/06/17/creflo-dollar-arrested-for-child-abuse/; Reply to this comment


by audemus June 16, 2012 7:15 PM EDT: I think there are probably a lot of households in America that appear to be all peaches and cream from the outside, but once you step through that veneer, the picture does a 180.

Until proven otherwise, I think we all should take accusations of abuse, ESPECIALLY abuse of children, seriously....as evidently was done in this particular episode.; Reply to this comment


by J956 June 16, 2012 3:03 PM EDT: Religious zealots consistently act one way and speak another. It's been long apparent that many of them are phonies. People who choose to believe in invisible gods don't strike me as reasonable to begin with.; Reply to this comment


by Cybersaint2 June 16, 2012 9:21 AM EDT: I'm not surprised by Creflo Dollar's denials nor people defending him. And I'm not surprised they are all missing the point.

I was raised in the Deep South, and in an argument with your father or mother, if you raised your voice or threatened them, many times a child would be hit and no one would call it abuse. That was part of the culture. This was true for people in white or black families. Our culture was segregated, but it shared a common connection to violence as the answer for some problems.

As a victim of genuine abuse by my father, (who repented and changed his life by the grace of God) the problem wasn't his violence. And the real problem here isn't that Dollar hit her.

We all know that all sorts of violence is not just excusable, but truly needed in some circumstances of defense and even play, such as football and boxing. Appropriate, measured swats on the bottom for a rebellious child are needed at times. Violence done to Jesus Christ was key in saving his people, according to the Bible. Violence is not the problem.

It's the anger. It's the out-of-control insanity and wild-eyed shouting that still haunt me about my dear father (who now rests in peace and joy with Christ). It's the loss of control that the Bible roundly and in all circumstances condemns.

Proverbs 25:28
A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.

And all these texts:

http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=self-control&version1=47&searchtype=all

Dollar and his supporters are missing the point. I don't fear that you will all beat your children to death. Dollar, like many of us, lack the commitment to act consistently on our hate for those who disrespect us. When big hate lives in little people, that's when self-control disappears. It's the irrational, hateful, angry, inconsistent, and abusive lack of self-control that he showed and that so many justify that actually harms our children most of all.

Solution:

Realize that God, through Christ, shows great love and patience towards those who are disrespectful to him, the greatest of all.

Realize that the Gospel sets us free from being offended by almost anything because our value and our joy flow from that relationship. If I'm intimately connected to God, then humans have less power to hurt me. With God's love in my life, your hate feels a lot less powerful.

Realize that Dollar is like us all--poor when it comes to character. We don't look to pastors' for our examples, but Jesus Christ.; Reply to this comment


by JaylikeBird June 16, 2012 5:03 AM EDT: Eczema? Is it not important to this analysis that Dollar is lying, bold-faced and shamelessly, about this detail? Has lying become so normalized that it is an acceptable moral trait?; Reply to this comment


by Tigmit June 15, 2012 8:25 PM EDT: yer all a bunch a loonies....only crazy people post sh$t like that online....hahahahahahahahahahahahaha; Reply to this comment

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