Image Credit: Murfreesboro Police Department & GoFundMe
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
A date has been set for the trials of a couple facing a lengthy list of felony charges revolving around the rape and sexual abuse of children. Between them, there are more than 20 charges on file with the majority levied against the husband, a traveling minister.
Benjamin Garlick, 33, was first arrested in 2023 on numerous child rape and abuse charges dating back to 2021 but was reindicted while still in jail by a Rutherford County Grand Jury in 2024, adding six additional charges to the originals according to the Murfreesboro Police Department (MPD).
The charges include:
– 7 counts of aggravated rape of a child
– 6 counts of aggravated sexual battery
– 2 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor
– 2 counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child
– 2 counts of violation of the child protection act
Though Tennessee based, the minister is known to have visited several Southern states including Texas, Alabama, Florida, and Arkansas, and his sermons were widely available online, many of them in Spanish as the couple focused primarily on Hispanic communities throughout their travels.
Further details of the allegations have been kept relatively obscured, including the full number of victims, their connections to the couple, or when the rapes and assaults occurred, but more of this information will likely come to light during the upcoming trials.
Benjamin currently awaits his June 6 pre-trial hearing at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center on an $825,000 bond while his wife, Shaantal Garlick, 31, was released after posting a $75,000 bond.
Shaantal was initially arrested alongside her husband in September of 2023 on several charges of her own but made bond before being served with new indictments and rearrested in March of 2024, freed again after posting her second bond in April. Her charges include two counts each of facilitation of aggravated rape of a child and aggravated child neglect.
She also reportedly filed for a protection order against Benjamin just prior to their arrests then filed for divorce in March of 2024, but court records show the petition was denied, likely due to the ongoing criminal case.
Both husband and wife’s trials are scheduled to begin July 28, with Benjamin’s set for five days before Circuit Court Judge Barry Tidwell.
Witnesses are expected to include detectives from the MPD Special Victims Unit, representatives from the Department of Children’s Services, and staff from a facility specializing in treating victims of child sexual abuse.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
3 Responses
This is abuse of the worst kind, by a pastor. He and his wife will receive justice here on earth but their real justice will be when they stand before God.
Luke 17:2 NKJV
2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
In God we trust not government or man.
Have a blessed day.
Evil is everywhere for sure. This is disgusting for sure.
Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves”
IF guilty, need hung.