Advertisement

Oklahoma minister tackled by witness who caught him on video fondling a child

MUSTANG, Okla. — A small town minister has been arrested by Oklahoma City Police, but not before he was confronted and physically detained by an adult who accused him of touching a child inappropriately at a school bus stop.

According to Oklahoma City Police, an adult man allegedly saw and videotaped Michael Eric Coghill, 33, touching a 9-year-old child inappropriately on the morning of Sept. 22 as the child and other youths waited at a school bus stop in southwest Oklahoma City.

Coghill was identified as the discipleship minister at Lakehoma Church of Christ in Mustang, Okla. After the arrest, the church released a statement on its Facebook page stating he was no longer on staff there.

COVID: How obituary for vaccinated victim led to worldwide attention and insults

ADVERTISEMENT

USPS: mail delivery is about to get permanently slower and temporarily more expensive

Police said the witness told the reporting officer that a child had indicated there was a jogger who had been coming to the bus stop and touching youths as they waited for the school bus.

The man told police the child said the "the guy had touched him on the back and he don't like they way it made him feel."

Michael Eric Coghill
Michael Eric Coghill

The witness told police he decided to park his car near the bus stop on Wednesday to check on what the child had told him. The man said he saw Coghill jog by the bus stop once before any youths had appeared. The witness told police he saw Coghill jog by the bus stop a second time after children had arrived. The man told police he watched from his car as Coghill stopped and began touching one of the youths.

The man videotaped the encounter before confronting Coghill about touching the child. When Coghill tried to run, the witness physically restrained him until police arrived. An altercation occurred between the two men and Coghill was ultimately forced to the ground by his accuser, according to the police report.

Police conducted an investigation at the scene, which included viewing the video filmed by the witness. Coghill was arrested on a complaint of lewd/indecent acts to a child, according to a police report regarding the incident. Oklahoma City Police posted information about the incident and subsequent arrest on the department's Facebook page.

According to police, an officer took Coghill to Southwest Medical Center, where doctors said the Coghill suffered a skull fracture and a cracked orbital socket on the left side of his face. Police said medical staff determined that Coghill did not need surgery for his injuries and he was taken to the Oklahoma County jail and booked without incident.

Besides his position at Lakehoma Church of Christ, Coghill also formerly worked at Choctaw Church of Christ in Choctaw.

Lakehoma Church of Christ released the following statement on its Facebook page:

"We were heartbroken to learn of the incident that occurred yesterday morning involving Mike Coghill, our discipleship minister. And we were shocked to learn this news through social media today. Mike has a clean background check, and we have received no reports or claims against him during his tenure at Lakehoma. Our hearts go out to the family and the child involved in the incident. We would encourage everyone to pray for this family during a very difficult time in their lives."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma minister tackled by witness who caught him fondling a child