Alabama pastor drives girl to city park to rape and sodomize her, police say

Police in Pleasant Grove, Alabama arrested a local pastor last week after he was caught driving a 16-year-old girl to a city park to allegedly rape and sodomize her.

WBRC reported that an officer noticed Palisades Family Church of Christ Pastor Glenn VanZandt's car in an abandoned park at around 10 p.m. on Thursday.

When the officer stopped to check out the car, he discovered the 55-year-old pastor inside with the teen.

"He rolled up on the car, the vehicle, and he found our 55-year-old suspect with a minor child, a female under the age of 16," Sgt. Danny Reid told the station.

And investigators discovered that it was not the first time the pastor had allegedly raped the girl.

"There was a period of victimization over several months where he had sex and sodomized a minor female under the age of 16," Reid told Al.com in a phone interview.

VanZandt was charged with second-degree rape and second-degree sodomy. He was being held in Pleasant Grove jail in lieu of $60,000 bond.

VanZandt has served as the pastor of Palisades Family Church of Christ since October of 2011.

Watch the video below from WBRC, broadcast Sept. 16, 2014.