Update: The former local worship pastor arrested earlier this week on multiple felony sex abuse charges has been officially identified as the man who died in a shooting incident Thursday morning near Utica.
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The former local worship pastor arrested Monday on multiple charges related to the sexual abuse of a juvenile posted bond in less than 16 hours. Owensboro Times reviewed investigative findings and years of archived records detailing his leadership roles and community involvement.
David A. Rodgers, 40, of Utica, was arrested at approximately 7:35 p.m. Monday by troopers with the Kentucky State Police Post 16 in Henderson following an investigation into allegations involving a juvenile. According to KSP, investigators determined Rodgers, former worship pastor at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, had “engaged in a sexual relationship with a juvenile through a position of special trust.”
KSP Public Information Officer Corey King said the investigation began after a complaint was received in early January 2026. Investigators believe the alleged abuse began roughly 10 to 11 years ago when the victim was 11-12 years old, and continued for approximately 5-6 years.
Rodgers is currently charged with the following offenses:
- Two counts of third-degree rape
- Two counts of second-degree sodomy (position of authority)
- Two counts of first-degree sexual abuse
- One count of procuring or promoting the use of a minor by electronic means
- One count of possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor under the age of 12
King said all of the charges currently filed involve a single alleged victim, and emphasized that the case remains in the early stages. King said he could not determine exactly when the victim first came into contact with Rodgers.
Investigators are continuing interviews with the victim and family members to determine the frequency and circumstances of the alleged abuse, King said.
King said he has not been given any indication that additional suspects are being investigated at this time.
King said investigators moved quickly to arrest Rodgers due to concerns about public safety and the possibility that he could flee if he became aware of the investigation. According to a citation previously obtained by Owensboro Times, Rodgers was taken into custody on Feb. 17, advised of his rights, and agreed to be interviewed by investigators. The citation states that Rodgers confessed to the offenses he was ultimately charged with.
Jail records obtained by OT show Rodgers was booked into the Daviess County Detention Center at 8:22 p.m. on Feb. 16 and released at 11:58 a.m. on Feb. 17 after posting a $75,000 full cash bond.
Court records list multiple conditions of Rodgers’ release, including:
- No contact with minor children
- Remaining at least 500 feet away from the victim
- No contact with the complaining witness
- No use of electronic devices
- No use of alcohol or drugs
- No new arrests or violations of the law
- Compliance with all scheduled court dates
An arraignment is scheduled for March 18 at 8:30 a.m. before Daviess District Judge Misty Miller.
Pleasant Grove Baptist Church released a statement Tuesday morning confirming Rodgers’ termination following his arrest.
“We are deeply saddened and troubled by these allegations,” the statement reads. “The church takes all allegations of sexual assault extremely serious and we ask that you join us in prayerfully waiting information regarding this ongoing legal matter.”
The church said Rodgers has been terminated and is prohibited “from participating in church-sponsored functions.”
King said he did not contact the church directly prior to the statement’s release and believes the church may have learned of the arrest and specific details through family members or media reports.
As of Tuesday, the church’s website had largely been locked down, with the homepage displaying the statement first provided to OT.
In-depth background
Archived versions of Pleasant Grove’s website reviewed by OT through the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine show Rodgers held various leadership roles at the church for more than a decade, including direct oversight of children’s ministry during part of that time.
As of Feb. 1, 2012, Rodgers was listed as “Music & Children Pastor,” with a biography stating he had “made a large impact on the music and children programs.”
On a redesigned website from at least Nov. 13, 2012, through at least March 8, 2016, Rodgers was listed as “Music and Children” pastor. His biography stated that he had lived in Owensboro since 1990, graduated from Daviess County High School in 2004, earned a bachelor of music degree from Campbellsville University in 2008, and was pursuing a master’s degree from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. The bio also stated he was ordained in 2008 and led both worship and children’s ministries.
Later versions of the site reflected that Rodgers had completed his master’s degree.
By April 18, 2020, Rodgers’ title changed to “Minister of Music,” and references to leading children’s ministry were removed from his biography. A separate staff member was listed as Director of Children’s Ministries at that time.
By September 2020, Rodgers’ title changed to “Worship Pastor.” Between March and September 2025, his biography was updated again to state that he led worship ministry and creative arts, a description that remained on the website through Feb. 16, 2026. Rodgers was removed from the staff page of the website on the morning of Feb. 17, before the site went into a nearly full lockdown.
According to multiple archived versions of the site, Pleasant Grove’s children’s ministry, known as The Grove Kids, serves children from 2 years old through 5th grade.
Rodgers also created and led Lil’ Sluggers, a co-ed T-ball league for children ages 3-6 hosted at Pleasant Grove. The T-ball league grew to include hundreds of children annually.
Rodgers was also active in local theater, appearing in multiple Encore Musicals productions. In addition to playing Jesus in “Godspell” in April 2023, he was a main character in “The Sound of Music” in July 2023 and “Big Fish” in November 2024.
In a statement sent to OT Tuesday night, the Encore board said, “We are aware of the situation involving an individual who has appeared in a few productions with our organization in the past. This person has never served in an official capacity with our organization. As this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not comment further.”
King said investigators are continuing interviews and gathering additional details as the case progresses. Additional charges are possible.
