COLFAX, N.C. (WGHP) — A former pastor is accused of sex crimes after an incident at the Piedmont Triad Farmer’s Market in Colfax on Sandy Ridge Road.
Ivan Peden, 71, is charged with:
- taking indecent liberties with children
- indecent exposure to a person under 16
- sexual battery
- secret peeping
The crimes allegedly happened on June 24 and July 14.
In the most recent case, police say Peden was caught trying to look at a child through a stall in a bathroom.
He is accused of trying to get into the stall while the child kept the door closed.
He is in the Guilford County Jail under a $50,000 bond.
The director of communications with the Western North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church confirmed to FOX8 in a statement on Wednesday that Peden is a former United Methodist clergyperson who retired from active ministry in 2020.
The full statement is provided below:
We can confirm Rev. Peden was a United Methodist clergyperson, and he retired from active ministry with the Western North Carolina Conference in 2020. We have no knowledge of these recent allegations, are saddened to hear about them, and cannot offer any further comment.
–WNCCUMC
