Couple who ran ministry pleads not guilty to sex charges

LEBANON — Bond was set at $100,000 for a Warren County couple who ran a South Lebanon ministry and who have been accused of sex and child endangerment charges.

Jeff and Alice Kilburn of Massie Twp. both entered not guilty pleas during a video arraignment today, Dec. 23. to charges of sexual imposition, a third-degree misdemeanor, and child endangerment, a second-degree felony.

Magistrate Maureen McCroskey also ordered the Kilburns, who are being held in the Warren County Jail, to have no contact with children.

Jeff Kilburn said he has lived in the county his entire life and was not a flight risk. He also said he did not have the money to post bond. He is the pastor of Believer’s Ministries, which meets at Caesar Creek Pioneer Village Meeting House, according to his Web site.

Jeff and Alice Kilburn were indicted on the charges by a Warren County grand jury on Dec. 18. They turned themselves in to the county sheriff on Tuesday.

They face up to eight years in prison if they are found guilty and will have to register as sex offenders.

The alleged incident involved a 16-year-old boy and occurred at Clark HomePlace on McKinley Street in South Lebanon during the summer, police said. Jeff Kilburn ran the religious ministry meeting house and played with his band Kilburn Wildgrass at the facility, which closed on July 10.

Adams County Prosecutor Aaron Haslam said earlier this week that both Kilburns allegedly “touched” the boy. Since Jeff Kilburn and Warren County commissioner Mike Kilburn are cousins, the case is being handled by Haslam.

The grand jury also considered potential rape and sexual battery charges against Alice Kilburn and they rendered a “no bill” decision, which means those cases won’t proceed.

In civil stalking documents filed in July, the father of the victim accused Alice Kilburn of raping his son and contributing alcohol and drugs to a minor. The father also filed a civil protection order against Jeff Kilburn, accusing him of sexual misconduct with a minor and accessory to rape.

Those papers were filed on July 29, two days after Kilburn filed his own protection order, accusing the father of trying to run him off the road with his car.

The civil stalking cases were dismissed because not all the parties showed up to court.

Last summer, Jeff Kilburn said health issues forced him to shut the doors at HomePlace. He denied any wrong doing at that time.

“It’s just an alleged story and someone keeps making it up and keeps adding to it and keeping something going that’s not there...” he said. “We were giving away free food and feeding the homeless, we were doing some great work down here and some people got jealous and started the rumors.”

After Wednesday’s arraignment, a friend of the Kilburns, Don Lynch of Maineville, said like Jeff Kilburn, he was also “dumbfounded” when he heard about the charges.

Lynch said he believed this was “a smear to damage Mike Kilburn.” Mike Kilburn is planning to run in the Republican primary for the Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District seat.

Staff Writer Denise Callahan contributed to this story.

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