U.S. Marshals Arrest Pastor Accused of Raping and Molesting Underage Girls Since the 1970s

Tulsa, OK - The U.S. Marshals (USMS) Northern Oklahoma Violent Crimes Task Force, in coordination with the U.S Marshals Western District of Missouri and the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, today located and arrested in Elkland, Missouri, an Oklahoma pastor accused of raping and molesting underage girls since the 1970s.

Pastor Joseph Lyle Campbell, a Pentecostal preacher who previously led children's ministries at Eastland Assembly of God in Tulsa and later established the non-denominational Lakeside Family Worship in the Missouri Ozarks, is alleged to have multiple victims, dating back more than 40 years.  

After the USMS Northern Oklahoma Violent Crimes Task Force developed information that Campbell was in the Springfield, Missouri, area, they sent a collateral lead to the Western District of Missouri. Investigators in the Western District of Missouri, after conducting interviews, were able to locate and arrest Campbell in Elkland. 

“It is our sincere hope that the arrest of Pastor Campbell will help bring closure to the victims in this case who have been victimized over decades,” said Clayton Johnson, U.S. Marshal for the northern District Oklahoma.

The Northern Oklahoma Violent Crimes Task Force is led by the Northern Oklahoma U.S. Marshals and is a cooperative effort including many local, state, and federal agencies in the area.

Agencies involved in the operation included:

 - USMS Northern Oklahoma Violent Crimes Task Force
 - USMS Western District of Missouri 
 - Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office