Haslet church members vote not to reinstate pastor who hired sex offender son

Haslet’s Heritage Baptist Church members voted Sunday evening not to reinstate pastor Eric Crawford, who stepped down from his position in March after his son was discovered to be a registered sex offender.

Church secretary Sim Stone previously said the congregation would vote on Eric Crawford’s leadership Sunday after 6 p.m. services. Stone did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday morning.

Katie Thompson, who created the Change.org petition urging the pastor to step down, was surprised the congregation voted not to reinstate Eric Crawford. Thompson and others in support of finding a new church leader held an “Eric Crawford needs to go” protest Sunday outside the church as the votes were being cast. 

There were roughly 180 votes with 56% of the congregation voting to reinstate Eric Crawford, though a 75% total was needed for him to return to his position, Thompson said.

“From what I understand, the vote is final, but I would be surprised if they go down without a fight,” she told The Dallas Morning News.

“To the 44%, your voice mattered,” Thompson wrote in a Facebook post. “You are brave and strong. I hope [the church] finds new leadership with honesty and integrity.”

Eric Crawford was “temporarily relieved” of ministry duties on Feb. 19 after his son, Caleb Crawford, was fired. When Eric Crawford resigned his position three days later, church officials said they planned to bolster hiring rules and regulations by increasing security measures, auditing background checks and implementing a new visitor access system.

Caleb Crawford spent two years in prison after he pleaded guilty to indecency with a child by contact. He was released in 2018, court records show.

In a previous statement on social media, Eric Crawford said he had allowed his son to “assist by leading music and performing certain maintenance work as an independent contractor” at the church and its adjoining school, Heritage Christian Academy.

Caleb Crawford was terminated following concerns about his background from parents whose children attended the academy, though he was still allowed to attend the church’s public worship, according to a previous church statement.

After his conviction, Caleb Crawford signed documents that stated his duty to register as a sex offender annually for the rest of his life, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. He also signed a form stating he would report any change in his name, workplace or educational status.

He has not reported any employment changes since 2021 and has listed his work address as being in Fort Worth, though the church and academy are in Haslet, according to the affidavit.

Caleb Crawford was arrested Feb. 20 for failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements.

His case has been assigned a defense attorney and a prosecutor who works for the Tarrant County district attorney’s office. The next court date is set for Aug. 12.

Heritage Christian Academy is accredited by the American Association of Christian Schools. Online records with the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission say the academy enrolls just over 200 students. 

Jeff Walton, executive director of the American Association of Christian Schools, said in a statement last week that the group’s accreditation commission began an investigation into Heritage Christian Academy in February. Walton said the school is currently in probationary accreditation status.