Former Plano pastor indicted for allegedly soliciting a prostitute
PLANO, Texas - Another North Texas pastor is facing charges for allegedly behaving badly away from the pulpit.
Authorities say the Plano pastor was arrested during an ongoing effort by police to fight human trafficking.
Plano police arrested 51-year-old Terrence "Terren" Dames, who was the senior pastor at North Dallas Community Bible Fellowship in Plano, back in May as part of an ongoing effort by police to fight human trafficking.
Dames is no longer a part of the church after police say he went online looking to pay someone for sex.
Investigators say the pastor claimed he was meeting a friend at the motel and then had an unspecified medical episode while in custody but refused to go to a hospital. He’s now charged with a felony.
Terren Dames (Collin County jail)
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, an undercover Plano officer posed as a prostitute and placed an ad on a website that is commonly used by individuals to solicit sex for money.
On May 2, Dames called the number on the ad and offered to pay $150 for the "full service," which is a slang meaning for sex, the affidavit alleges.
Less than 30 minutes later, Dames arrived at the coordinated motel room. He left after no one answered the door but was arrested during a traffic stop.
Dames was indicted in June on a charge of soliciting a prostitute. The church said he was removed from his position in May because of "moral failure."
Argyle church's lead pastor resigns after ‘inappropriate actions’
In a statement, Cross Timbers stated, "The inappropriate, and hurtful actions of Josiah do not include any children, physical or sexual interactions or any illegal activity to our knowledge."
Bianca Davis is the CEO of New Friends New Life, a non-profit that helps victims of sex trafficking and exploitation. She says prostitution is rarely a victimless crime.
"In the vast majority of cases, there is a trafficker or a pimp who is behind the scenes who she must then turn over that money to, which is a part of the definition. If she is on her own, selling her body with no one profiting from it, she might be a victim of exploitation, but she’s not being trafficked," she said. "We do know that online purchasing is one of the most prevalent and common ways that this act is being committed."
Plano PD says it arrested 153 people in 2023 for attempting to solicit a prostitute. So far this year, it has arrested 90 people.
"And it’s an important way to get the message out, hopefully to others, that there are consequences and by the way this is criminal behavior," Davis said.
Dames’ cell phone was seized by investigators. FOX 4 stopped by his home for a comment, but no one answered the door.