Myron Chorbajian, a former pastor of the First Southern Methodist Church in Greenville, South Carolina, was arrested on May 15, 2025 alongside his wife Kathleen on charges tied to the alleged sexual and physical abuse of their adopted children dating back to the 1980s. The couple faces more than 90 combined criminal charges, including sexual assault of minors, incest, attempted murder, and child endangerment. Prosecutors have described the case as “the weaponization of Christianity to justify the abuse of children.”1Law and Crime. Kids Forced to Eat Rotten Food Out of Dumpster, Watch as Adoptive Parents Shot Family Dog
Captured at the Grand Ole Opry
Myron, 73, and Kathleen, 70 at the time, were apprehended at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, roughly 347 miles from their home.2The Independent. Pastor, Wife Sex Abuse Arrested Nashville They had been on the run for several weeks after an investigation opened in April 2025, triggered when a victim came forward to report the abuse. Both were taken into custody on fugitive-from-justice warrants out of South Carolina and extradited to the Greenville County Detention Center, where they were initially held without bond.3FOX Carolina. Warrants: Upstate Pastor, Wife Accused of Child Sex Crimes Located at Grand Ole Opry
The Charges
Charges were filed in two waves. The initial May 2025 warrants charged Myron with three counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor between ages 11 and 14, three counts of incest, one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, 14 counts of unlawful placing a child at risk, and two counts of second-degree assault and battery.4WDBJ7. Pastor, Wife Facing Multiple Charges in Child Sex Abuse Investigation Kathleen was initially charged with 14 counts of unlawful placing a child at risk and two counts of accessory after the fact of a felony.3FOX Carolina. Warrants: Upstate Pastor, Wife Accused of Child Sex Crimes Located at Grand Ole Opry
In June 2025, investigators added substantially more. New warrants charged Myron with two counts of attempted murder, six counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor younger than 11, three more counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor aged 11 to 14, one additional count of criminal sexual conduct with a minor, 11 counts of incest, three counts of second-degree assault and battery, and 15 counts of abandonment of a minor child under 16.5FOX Carolina. Upstate Pastor, Wife Facing Additional Charges in Child Sex Crime Allegations Kathleen picked up 10 additional counts of abandonment of a minor under 16.6WFLX. Pastor, Wife Face Additional Charges in Child Sex Crime Investigation Including Attempted Murder
What the Warrants Allege
The Chorbajians adopted numerous children over the years, and the alleged abuse began in the 1980s. The warrants describe Myron sexually abusing multiple female adopted children, with one victim allegedly assaulted on her twelfth birthday. The two attempted murder charges stem from incidents in the 1990s in which Myron allegedly cut off oxygen to victims by holding them underwater and placing his arms around their necks.7FOX Carolina. Pastor Faces New Allegations of Child Sex Abuse, Animal Killings
Beyond sexual violence, warrants describe prolonged physical and psychological abuse. Children were allegedly forced to search dumpsters for rotten food, eat dirt off the floor, and sleep in a trash can for three days while being made to eat trash from it.8People. South Carolina Pastor Allegedly Forced Kids to Eat Trash, Bury Dog He Killed Myron allegedly paddled a naked victim 50 times, beat a child with a belt until the child lost consciousness, and punched a child in the face.3FOX Carolina. Warrants: Upstate Pastor, Wife Accused of Child Sex Crimes Located at Grand Ole Opry He is also accused of running over a child’s pet kitten and then shooting it in the head in front of the child, and of killing a dog in the kitchen in front of a child and forcing the child to bury the body.9Newsweek. Pastor Allegedly Shot Dog in Front of Kid, Forced Them to Bury Body
Kathleen is accused of knowing about the sexual and physical abuse and failing to intervene or report it. Warrants allege she handcuffed a child to a bed for days at a time and stood by while Myron carried out the abuse.10WIS TV. Files Reveal Sex Abuse Was Reported Decades Before Pastor Charged
An Earlier Report That Went Nowhere
The allegations were not entirely new to law enforcement. In 1997, a woman adopted by the Chorbajians at age four reported to the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office that Myron had sexually abused her from the time she was 12 until she was 20. She came forward a year after moving out of the home. A deputy recorded the allegations in a handwritten incident report, but no arrests were made. The report sat in the files for 28 years, and the available records do not explain why law enforcement failed to act on it.10WIS TV. Files Reveal Sex Abuse Was Reported Decades Before Pastor Charged
Where the Case Stands
At Kathleen’s bond hearing in February 2026, prosecutors framed the case as involving both physical and “spiritual abuse,” arguing that the couple manipulated their Christian faith to justify sadistic acts against foster children who had nowhere else to go. The state argued she posed a “clearly present danger to the community.”11FOX Carolina. Judge Considers Bond for Pastor’s Wife Charged in 1980s Child Abuse Cases Her defense attorney pointed to her lack of a prior criminal record, her financial dependence on Social Security, and the fact that some accusers had previously allowed their own children to stay overnight at the Chorbajian home unsupervised.1Law and Crime. Kids Forced to Eat Rotten Food Out of Dumpster, Watch as Adoptive Parents Shot Family Dog
The judge granted Kathleen a $120,000 surety bond on February 13, 2026, finding she was not a flight risk. Conditions include house arrest with GPS monitoring, no contact with any victims, no contact with anyone under 18, and no contact with Myron. She may leave home only for medical, legal, and religious purposes.11FOX Carolina. Judge Considers Bond for Pastor’s Wife Charged in 1980s Child Abuse Cases
Myron does not appear to have been granted bond. His case is pending in Greenville General Sessions, and as of January 2026 court records in a second case against him listed him as proceeding pro se, without an attorney.12Greenville County Public Index. Case Details – State v. Myron Robert Chorbajian An order substituting counsel was filed in July 2025 in his earlier case, indicating representation that changed.13Greenville County Public Index. Case Details – State v. Myron Robert Chorbajian