GREENVILLE — An Atlantic man has been sentenced to stand trial in the Mercer County Court of Common Pleas for allegedly having inappropriate contact with a girl who attended the Greenville church where he previously pastored.
The Greenville Police Department charged David E. Cox, 58, in September with bribery of minors, criminal solicitation to assault a person under 16, unlawful contact with a minor, and criminal solicitation to tamper with or fabricate physical evidence.
Cox was tried on all charges following a preliminary hearing last week before Magistrate District Judge Brian Arthur in Greenville.
Police allege that between 2019 and 2021, Cox tried to encourage the girl to meet him alone because he wanted to hold and kiss her, according to court documents. The girl was between 14 and 16 at the time, according to court documents.
Police said the investigation began in December 2021, when the girl’s mother told police her daughter had had inappropriate contact with a man.
The girl’s mother was cleaning the girl’s room, when several handwritten notes were found hidden in a Bible. She questioned her daughter, who said the notes were written by Cox, pastor of First Baptist Church in Greenville at the time.
Cox remains free on $50,000 bond pending a formal county court arraignment in December.
Cox’s trial in Mercer County Court is scheduled for February 2023, according to court administration officials.
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