Prominent Texas pastor David Ritchie has been fired from his church after being busted in a prostitution sting this past weekend.
Ritchie, 42, was the senior pastor at Redeemer Christian Church in Amarillo, Texas.
Married with three young sons, he was one of eight people arrested after the Texas Department of Public Safety Investigations Division conducted an undercover operation between June 12-13, resulting in his arrest.
Because in Texas amended the law in 2021 to increase the severity of the crime, changing it from a misdemeanor to a state jail felony, even for first-time offenders, Ritchie faces a mandatory minimum penalty of between 180 days to 2 years in state jail and a fine of up to $10,000.
Ritchie was not very active on social media, with his last posts being:
Andrew Merker, speaking on behalf of the Elders at Redeemer Christian Church, said in a statement:
“We learned over the weekend that our former senior pastor, David Ritchie, was arrested on a charge of solicitation of a prostitute. He was immediately placed on leave, and our Elders met Monday night to officially terminate his employment. We are shocked and heartbroken by this news, and we are committed to exercising appropriate accountability.”
We have requested bodycam footage and will update if and when it’s made available.
