Roy Moore-backing Alabama pastor lied to cover son’s alleged molestation of orphans

Rev. Bill Atkinson, a pastor who sang for Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore at a recent campaign event, was convicted of obstructing an investigation into whether his son molested children at an orphanage his family owned in Honduras.

Alabama.com reports that Atkinson in 2012 "was found guilty of obstruction and conspiracy for ordering two of his children to destroy a hard drive of a digital video recorder, which held evidence that incriminated" his son, William James "Will" Atkinson IV, of child molestation.

Although Atkinson's son spent time in a Honduran prison while awaiting trial for alleged child molestation, Alabama.com says that it's not clear how the case in Honduras was ultimately resolved.

Atkinson's presence at the Moore event is relevant given the multiple allegations that Moore himself molested teenage girls when he was in his 30s. Moore was also reportedly banned from a local shopping mall because he regularly preyed on teen girls, and a retired Alabama police officer said recently that she was tasked with keeping an eye on Moore during local high school football games over worries that he would hit on cheerleaders.