A Newport man is facing several statutory rape charges after a Cocke County grand jury indicted him last month.
According to the indictment filed on April 23, 2019, 40-year-old Artie Michael Sturm is facing three counts of statutory rape by an authority figure and three counts of aggravated statutory rape.
The indictment said the victim was less than 18 years old, but at least 13 at the time of the incidents.
Sturm was reportedly a pastor at DaySpring Baptist Church at the time, according to the Newport Daily Times.
According to the Cocke County Sheriff's Department, Sturm worked at Farms Home Furniture at the time of his arrest on April 30, 2019.
In the arrest report, the victim said her preacher had been sexually assaulting her since around December 2014 and that Sturm asked her for sexual favors when they were alone together on several occasions.
Sturm had previously been arrested for solicitation of a person under the age of 18 for making contact with the victim and sending her inappropriate photos with his cell phone, according to the arrest report.
A court date has not been set yet.