Woman alleges prominent Flint pastor assaulted her son, attorney says it’s not true

FLINT, MI — A local pastor has been accused of allegedly assaulting a six-year-old Flint boy.

According to Flint Police officials, a complaint was filed against a prominent Flint pastor on Feb. 9, 2018, by the mother of a six-year-old boy who said her son was assaulted by the pastor while at school.

An attorney for Foss Avenue Baptist Church Pastor Reginald Flynn says his client did not assault the boy.

“He has done so much work in the community it’s ridiculous to think that he would try to abuse a child,” said Attorney Archie Hayman of his client. “The response that I would make on behalf of Pastor Flynn is that the community should know pastor Flynn is someone who has been dedicated to uplifting the north side of Flint.”

The mother who has not responded to messages from Flint Beat regarding the issue took her claims to Facebook on Feb. 8, 2018, saying Flynn assaulted her son. She also posted pictures of her son with bruising to his face and neck. Her post was shared hundreds of times on Facebook.

According to the mother’s Facebook page, she took her son to the hospital and filed a report after Facebook friends urged her to do so. She first posted about the incident Thursday night and a number of Facebook friends showed outrage over the alleged incident.

Hayman said the family of the boy has ongoing issues and Flynn has tried to help them.

“This is a situation where there is a troubled child and a troubled family that a pastor has tried to help,” Hayman said. “You are going to demean this man’s character based on allegations that have not been proven. It’s just ridiculous. We will address it in an appropriate forum. This man has been dedicated to the community and uplifts his community.”

Flynn currently serves as pastor of Foss Avenue Baptist Church, is president of the North Flint Reinvestment Corporation, a non-profit spearheading the development of a grocery store on Flint’s north side. He is also the superintendent and founder of Eagle’s Nest Academy in Flint.

As of Friday, no formal charges had been filed.