The former resident Worship Leader of the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum was sentenced to one count of sodomy and 28 counts of sexual abuse after being found guilty of repeatedly raping a young teen over a period of four years.
Michael Howard, 36, was one of the founding members of TrueSong, a worship collective formed in 2022, whose Tell Someone album was nominated for the 2024 Inspirational Album of the Year at the Dove Awards.
The band held concerts Monday through Friday at the Ark Encounter and on select days at the Creation Museum, along with singing most nights at Answers in Genesis’s 40 Days and 40 Nights of Christian Music—the biggest Christian music festival in the world.
Along with being a husband and father of two young daughters, he was the worship leader at Florence Baptist Temple in Burlington, Kentucky, when he was accused of molesting a 14-year-old boy.
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office said at the time:
The victim identified the suspect as 36-year-old Michael Howard of Burlington and reported that he had started working for him in the Fall of 2019. The following Spring. Howard began sending messages of a sexual nature to the then 15-year-old victim. That same year, the sexual abuse and sodomy began and continued on multiple occasions over the next four (4) years.
In addition to the victim working for Howard, detectives learned that they were members of the same church. Detectives corroborated the victim’s statement after conducting additional interviews and learned that Howard made admissions regarding his “3-4 year” relationship.
Following his release Howard will have to register as a sex offender.
