Church's Members Rally Amid Sex Scandal

LAKELAND - Though the weather outside was clear and cool, a tempest continued to tear at the First Baptist Church at the Mall.

"We will get through this storm," Pastor Jay Dennis told those assembled at the Lakeland megachurch Sunday morning. "It's been an incredibly rough three weeks."

After weeks of investigating, Lakeland police on Saturday arrested Marshal Seymour, accusing the student ministry volunteer of sex offenses involving three boys he had mentored at the church.

Seymour, 40, paid them to perform sex acts or to keep quiet about sexual encounters that took place during the past two years, according to Lakeland police.

The victims were 15, 16 and 17 at the time, arrest records state.

During the investigation, Seymour also tried to bribe a person to delete a record of Seymour having been registered at a hotel where a sexual encounter took place, arrest records state.

Seymour was arrested on charges of unlawful sexual activity, tampering with a witness and three counts of using a child in sexual performance, jail records show. He remained in Polk County Jail on Sunday, with bail set at $325,000.......