A Dec. 9, 2019, article in Mennonite World Review reports that Gary Wall, former Pacific District Conference minister, was arrested for solicitation. The charges are deeply disturbing to USMB and U.S. Board of Faith and Life leadership. Wall has pled no contest to the charges but maintains his innocence. The facts of the case as reported in MWR are in dispute.
Wall has responded to the charges saying, “I have never been arrested. Based upon the plea agreement, in May 2020 the prosecutor will allow me to withdraw my no contest plea and enter a plea of not guilty. The judge will then grant the prosecutor’s motion to dismiss the case. Because the case is pending until the next hearing, I have been advised not to discuss the facts of the case at this time.”
Pacific District Executive leadership and PDC Board of Faith and Life are working with support from the USMB Board of Faith and Life to resolve the questions surrounding the events.
“The PDC Executive Board is saddened by the circumstances outlined in the article,” says Pat Coyle, PDC moderator in a statement. “We ask our churches to be in prayer for the Wall family and for the PDC leadership as we discern next steps and appropriate responses.”
