Image Credit: Murfreesboro Police Department & Canva
Tennessee Conservative News [By Paula Gomes] –
A Rutherford County pastor and his wife have been convicted on charges of child sexual assault crimes after a trial that lasted for two weeks.
Benjamin Garlick, 35, was sentenced to life behind bars with no possibility of parole by Circuit Court Judge Barry Tidwell on seven counts of aggravated rape of a child. Garlick remains in the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center awaiting sentencing on six counts of aggravated sexual battery, two counts of violating the Child Protection Act, as well as one count of solicitation of sexual exploitation of a minor.
His wife, Shaantal Garlick, 32, was convicted on four charges in total, two counts of aggravated child neglect, and two counts of facilitation of aggravated rape of a child. Following the verdict, she was taken into custody having previously made bond both in September of 2023 and again in April of 2024.
Last year, when the date was set for the trials, Garlick, who had a traveling ministry, and his wife faced more than twenty felony charges between them, with the majority levied against Benjamin.
In August 2023 when allegations of prolonged sexual abuse of a then five-year-old child surfaced, Murfreesboro Police began an investigation into Benjamin Garlick which uncovered two additional victims. Investigators also discovered that Shaantal Garlick assisted in the commission of the sexual abuse while harming the health and well-being of the child through neglect.
Benjamin was arrested in 2023 on numerous child rape and abuse charges which dated back to 2021, and then reindicted while still in jail by a Rutherford County Grand Jury the following year on six additional charges.
While based in Tennessee, the couple visited several states in the South including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, and Texas, focusing primarily on Hispanic communities.
The couple are scheduled to return to court on November 10th, 2026, when Benjamin will be sentenced for the remaining charges he faces and Shaantal will be sentenced on hers.
Sources:
https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/murfreesboro/pastor-wife-convicted-child-sex-crimes-tennessee
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
