Priest allegedly raped underage girl

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Christopher Robin Whitehead, 35, was arrested yesterday morning and charged with sexual abuse of a victim between the ages of 12 and 18.

At approximately 2:46 a.m. on Sunday morning, a Shands pediatric nurse reported a sexual assault of a minor victim; the incident reportedly occurred early Saturday morning at a home adjacent to a church. Although the name of the church is redacted in the police report, the location of the incident is next to Mt. Olive Primitive Baptist Church, and a recent Gainesville Guardian article reported on Whitehead’s second anniversary as pastor of the church. The police report also mentions that some of the individuals from the home had traveled there on Friday to celebrate the church’s second anniversary; according to another article, Whitehead travels there every week from Sopchoppy to serve as pastor of the church.

Whitehead allegedly told the girl to sleep in his bed and then raped her. She allegedly said she used the excuse that she needed a drink to get out of the room. Later that same day, she told another adult about the incident.

The other adult told the investigating officer from the Gainesville Police Department that she confronted Whitehead and he asked if the matter could be resolved. When she said no, Whitehead asked to be left alone with the victim to speak with her, and the adult said no.

After being granted Miranda, Whitehead allegedly denied touching the victim at all. However, his statement allegedly changed several times: first, he denied that the victim came to Gainesville with him, but later identified her as one of the groups that came with him; first, he said all the juveniles slept in their own rooms; then, he said the victim came to his room but did not sleep there; and then, he said the victim went to bed with him.

The officer spoke to the other adult after speaking with Whitehead, and she reportedly said that Whitehead apologized for the situation and “for his role in putting her there,” but he never admitted to sexually abusing the girl.

Whitehead has multiple traffic convictions in Wakulla County. In 2020, he was charged with assault and sentenced to probation, which he completed in October 2022. Judge Meshon Rawls ordered Whitehead held without bail pending a hearing on a motion to be held without bail pending trial.

Articles about arrests are based on law enforcement reports. The charges listed are from the arrest report and/or court records and are merely accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.