Former COO and pastor of Rhema Bible Church, Craig Hagin, along with his wife, pleaded no contest to criminal charges related to an animal cruelty investigation.
Craig Hagin is the grandson of the late Word of Faith advocate Kenneth E. Hagin and the son of Rhema Bible Church founder Kenneth W. Hagin. He was recently removed from the church after it was discovered that he had been cheating on his wife for more than a decade, often with prostitutes.
According to the Broken Arrow Sentinel:
Hagin was convicted on two counts of disturbing the peace for improperly using a residence as a kennel that neglected several animals, said Tulsa County District Attorney Steven Kunzweiler. Hagin was ordered to pay fines and complete a Benchmark Animal Rehabilitation Curriculum (BARC) program, which educates people on animal cruelty prevention.
When the Tulsa Police Department visited his home in March for a welfare check, they found more than 25 animals, many living in unsanitary conditions. He and his wife were originally charged with animal cruelty after police found mounds of trash on the floor, including spilled food. There was also a strong stench of urine, along with piles of feces across the floor.
They also found the body of a cat that had been dead for some time.
Kunzweiler said in a statement:
I have long fought for a separate version of Oklahoma’s animal cruelty law – one which addresses situations like this case, where cruelty and malicious intent were not present – but where elements of neglect were present.
I am grateful for the efforts of Tulsa’s animal welfare community to discover and investigate cases like this so animals may be protected. Obviously, the ramifications for Pastor Hagin have been significant. We arrived at a mutually acceptable disposition which fairly addressed the facts which existed that evening when law enforcement was summoned to his residence.”
