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May 9, 2008 8:39 pm US/Central
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W. Suburban Minister Charged In Prostitution Sting
ST. CHARLES, Ill. (STNG) ―
The pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Hinsdale was charged with soliciting sex during a west suburban prostitution sting earlier this week.
Phillip L. Haltom, 52, of 909 Oakwood Terrace in Hinsdale, is charged with one count of solicitation of a sexual act, a Class B misdemeanor. For the past three years, he has been the pastor at Trinity Presbyterian, which meets at The Community House in Hinsdale and has an office in La Grange.
"From what I've seen and talked to them and know them, they are a great family," neighbor Alice Chan said Friday. "It's so shocking. Everybody has their weaknesses." The church had just completed a move May 4 from Hinsdale Middle School to The Community House.
Chan said each Tuesday Haltom and his wife hosted a Bible Study, and on May 6 she said the couple hosted the weekly meeting.
Haltom was among five men arrested in St. Charles for allegedly soliciting sex from an undercover female officer, according to a release from St. Charles police.
Also arrested were William J. Breedlove, 42, of North Barrington; Lanny D. Forrester, 57, of Downers Grove; Nicholas J. Stauropoulos, 35, of St. Charles; and Damon R. Thaker, 37, of Warrenville.
An undercover operation began April 24 after complaints were received about ads posted on craigslist.com. The five men responded to another ad posted by police and agreed to meet the female officer at various locations in St. Charles, according to the release.
Neither Haltom nor anyone in the Trinity Presbyterian office could be reached for comment.
Haltom, his wife and their four children moved to Hinsdale three years ago from St. Louis to start Trinity Presbyterian. He was the pastor at Grace Presbyterian Church of St. Charles County in St. Charles, Mo., and helped the church grow by several hundred members.
Chan said she was on the committee that helped launch Trinity Presbyterian and hired Haltom as pastor, although she later decided not to become an official member of the church. She described Haltom as a godly man who cared for others and always helped around the house.
"On one hand, you want to protect the interest of the neighborhood, but on the other side, it's a terrible thing," Chan said. "You hope they give him a second chance." Haltom and the other four men have a 9 a.m. court date on May 22 at the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles.
(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2006. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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