Creflo Dollar, Megachurch pastor, arrested for assaulting his 15-year-old daughter
Megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar has been arrested for assault.
Creflo Dollar, the Megachurch pastor scrutinized for his preachings that prosperity is good, was arrested at his Atlanta home for assaulting his 15-year-old daughter, the Associated Press reported Friday.
According to his attorney, Dollar is still expected to preach on Sunday reported ABC News.
He was allegedly fighting with his daughter over her wanting to go to a party when he grabbed her by the throat and choked her, Fox News Atlanta reported.
"I just got in an altercation with my father," Dollar's daughter told a 911 dispatcher, according to the call's transcripts obtained by Fox News. "He punched me and frightened me and choked me. Um, it's not the first time it's happened. I feel threatened by being in this house. Um, I don't know, I don't know what can be done but I'm scared, I'm shaking. I don't know what to do."
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The injuries she suffered were "superficial," Brent Rowen of the Fayette County Sheriff's Office told Fox News, adding that the girl was not hospitalized.
Dollar, who is the founder and preacher of World Changers Church International, was accused of simple battery and cruelty to children and released on $5,000 bail, USA Today reported.
"As a father I love my children and I always have their best interest at heart at all times, and I would never use my hand to ever cause bodily harm to my children," Dollar said in a statement, released by his lawyer Nikki Bonner, the AP reported. "The facts in this case will be handled privately to further protect my children. My family thanks you for your prayers and continued support."
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Aside from Bishop Eddie Long, Creflo Dollar "is one of the most prominent African-American preachers based around Atlanta who have built successful ministries on the prosperity gospel, which teaches that God wants to bless the faithful with earthly riches," the AP reported.
Dollar's church in Atlanta's College Park boasts 30,000 members, according to their website, and also has satellite churches in Georgia, New York Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Washington, Cleveland, Dallas and Houston, according to the AP.
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