Waxahachie youth pastor who impregnated 14-year-old girl gets 50-year prison sentence
(Marvin Scales (Ellis County DA's Office))
WAXAHACHIE, Texas - A Waxahachie youth pastor who impregnated a 14-year-old girl was sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing four minors.
Marvins Scales, 53, received a 50-year sentence on Monday after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual abuse of a young child, one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of sexual assault of a child.
An investigation into Scales began in August 2023 when a 14-year-old girl gave birth at Baylor Scott & White – Waxahachie.
Hospital staff tipped off police when Scales went to the hospital with the young girl and was "overly involved" in the delivery process.
Waxahachie police then obtained a warrant for the newborn’s DNA and confirmed Scales was the biological father.
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Scales was the youth pastor of a local church. However, authorities did not specify the name or location of the church.
Once church members learned about the first victim, several more came forward.
The DA’s office says Scales would regularly have children from the church on overnight trips and would have them sleep over at his house.
Victims told investigators Scales would have sex with them on the trips and overnight stays.
Investigators say Scale had an extensive security system at home that caught several of the sexual assaults. They say he even recorded several of the assaults himself and kept them at home.
The security footage helped authorities find even more child sex abuse victims.
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"When a person of authority – especially in a religious institution – is the abuser, it can be incredibly difficult for victims and their families to speak out," said Ellis County DA Ann Montgomery. "We commend the bravery of the children who came forward to ensure that no other child suffered due to Scales’s abuse, and our hearts are with those children who could not speak out. With this sentence, justice is done for all of Scales’s victims. We hope now they and this entire community can begin to heal."
According to the Texas Public Sex Offender website, Scales first became a registered sex offender in 2006. He verified his registration with the Waxahachie Police Department on June 5, 2023.
Online records show Scales was convicted of three child sex abuse crimes in 1998 and was released from jail after 10 years.
It’s unclear when the local church hired Scales or if they knew about his sex offender status before hiring him.
Scales is not eligible for parole.