An associate pastor at Atlanta-area megachurch 2819 Church was arrested after police said he beat his 15-year-old stepson with a power cord, leaving the boy with visible bruising. 

According to jail records, Kenneth McFarland, 42, was taken into custody by Stockridge police on Nov. 10 and booked into the Henry County Jail on a charge of second-degree cruelty to children. He was later granted a bond of $2500; meanwhile, his case is still under investigation.

The alleged abuse came to light when an assistant principal at Creekside Christian Academy noticed blood on the teen’s pants and asked what happened. According to the police report obtained by USA Today, the child said, “my dad called himself disciplining me” because of an in-school suspension, and told investigators he had been struck with a power cord taken from his gaming system. Officers documented bruising on his upper right thigh and lower buttocks.

2819 Church, which has a large online following (over 1 million subscribers on YouTube), said in a statement posted on social media that McFarland was initially suspended and then terminated Nov. 18, after the church gathered more information. The statement said, “There were several steps we took to make sure that this situation was considered without haste and the well-being of everyone involved was considered,” the church said. “Every person on our staff must align with scripture and a standard of conduct that inspires others to draw closer to Jesus.”

The church’s statement called the allegation a “serious crime” involving the “physical harm of a child in his family” and stressed it would not tolerate violence, especially involving children. Church leaders said they would continue to support the pastor’s wife and children while asking the public not to engage in gossip or speculation.  

This isn’t the first time 2819 Church has been in the news. Over the summer, Black Israelites interrupted the church’s service with claims that Pastor Mitchell was “lying to the people” about who the true Israelites are. The group showed up again in October during the church’s Access Prayer event at State Farm Arena.

Authorities are continuing their investigation.