Man Arrested For Protesting Megachurch’s ‘Pedophile Pastor’ John Blanchard
In 2021, John Blanchard, lead pastor of the 4000-member Rock Church International in Virginia Beach, VA, was busted by police for trying to hook up with an underage prostitute. He was joined by 16 other men who were likewise caught up on the sting by law enforcement, all contacting the same number for sex and all showing up at the designated location where they were quickly arrested.
When questioned by police, Blanchard claimed he had no idea how he came upon a well-know prostitution website in the first place and no idea how he came to start texting the number, blaming his lack of memory of the whole situation on “brain problems.” He also strenuously defended his innocence, telling detectives, “I didn’t do anything wrong. I was just going to talk.”
His insistence that ‘he only wanted to talk” doesn’t explain why he drove two and a half hours to see her, why he only wanted to only ‘talk’ for an hour, requested a qv ( sex worker lingo for a quick visit) asked her how much money he should bring, and was concerned about whether or not she was law enforcement.
Despite fifteen of the seventeen men busted in the sting being fully prosecuted so far, Blanchard was somehow able to avoid jail time, outraging the community and the police officers who arrested Blanchard in the first place. In fact, all the charges were dropped. A recently uncovered e-mail from the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office explained that prosecutors set aside the charges because Blanchard’s attorney said Blanchard planned to receive an equivalent of sex-offender-related counseling, particularly “psychosexual evaluations.”
This deal wasn’t offered to any other of the men who were arrested and charged, however, prompting lawyers to express their confusion over the special treatment- as sex-offender counseling is something they’d have to do anyway.
The decision to drop charges against him rankled Chesterfield police chief Jeffrey S. Katz, who came out swinging against the prosecutor, publicly criticizing them for the move. He also blasted the judge for granting Blanchard’s lawyers the motion to seal all the case records, particularly when there was so much evidence. He wrote on Facebook:
I have recently learned that Mr. Blanchard’s defense counsel made a motion to seal all police or court records, transcripts, and investigative records associated with this case. Our Commonwealth’s Attorney has decided to consent to render these records unavailable to the public, which – upon approval by a judge – would make sharing of these transcripts, the report, or any other documents, previously released under FOIA a crime. From my vantage point, this is bewildering.
When someone:
1. Rents a car,
2. Texts a phone number posted on a known sex worker website,
3. Solicits a “qv” (“John” lingo for a “quick visit”),
4. Makes multiple inquiries if the person he’s texting is “affiliated with law enforcement,”
5. Drives two and a half hours to a hotel and knocks on the hotel room door – as directed by our undercover “17-year-old,”I believe a jury of Chesterfield County residents deserves to weigh in on the matter of criminal culpability.
The decision to seal the records did not put an end to things, but only magnified public interest and the perception that an injustice was being committed. Months after the decision, Police Chief Katz sent a message to Attorney Stacey Davenport, saying that he received video evidence that “incontrovertibly validates our assertions that Blanchard knowingly sought to engage in sex with an underage girl.”
Consequently, a special prosecutor has now been appointed to Blanchard’s case, and they have until June 7th to bring new charges.
Despite this seeming overwhelming evidence, Blanchard’s church has repeatedly defended him and insisted that he is innocent of all charges, writing on Facebook following the initial announcement not to pursue charges so long as he received sex-offender therapy.
Enter Jamie Thomas.
Thomas has been protesting at The Rock Church for months, standing near the entrance and proclaiming through a bullhorn: ‘This pastor is a pedophile’ and ‘Pedophiles don’t belong in churches. They belong in jail.’ much to the dismay of congregants and Blanchard himself, who is currently not acting in the Senior pastor role.
Thomas was arrested last Sunday on charges of stalking and posting expunged police records after Blanchard filed a criminal complaint against him. Blanchard accused Thomas of coming to his place of “work and worship” over a dozen times and harassing and intimidating him.
Thomas was quickly released on his own recognizance and called the charges against him ‘bogus,’ saying that he never went on church property and only ever protested peacefully. Undeterred, he has no intention to stop protesting and plans to keep showing up every Sunday, reminding everyone daily of what an evil man they have in the pulpit.
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Jamie Thomas was/is involved with the group1776RM who let pedophiles live with kids. They also weaponized the courts with bogus PO’s to shut up people protesting against them. Seems he’s now getting a taste of his own medicine?
Ms. Arnold, Seems like you support this “so called” Pastor.? Yet you spew lies and slanderous, vile language during your “so called” protests. Jamie has peacefully protested this accused Pastor, who has NEVER seen any jail time for his actions. for months now. Jamie has never went on the property, never went to his home, never filmed the Pastor going to the restroom, and many other threatening activities such as did you, and your “friends”. Maybe you could take some lessons from Jamie on how to PEACEFULLY PROTEST, which is a given right under our Constitution. No “protest”you have been involved in has ever been “Peaceful”.
But is he wrong ??
I think it’s great attention has been drawn to this “pastor” who needs to step down permanently. But I must confess, it is quite interesting that Jamie Thomas aka Buffaloman11 – Too supported, lied about their presence with small children around and partied with 2 convicted pedos that are with the group known as 1776RM. Maybe he is dealing with the gulit of it by chasing after others… js