A church-operated school in east Florida is fielding hard questions about why it allowed two men: a worship pastor and the son of its senior pastor, to prey on teenage girls years ago.

The latter, who now heads up a Reformed Baptist church in Arkansas, faces an allegation that he sexually abused a 13-year-old girl when he was 19. 

The allegation against Nathan Hargrave, now 47 and founding pastor of Twelve5 Church in Jonesboro, is contained in a police report recently obtained by The Roys Report (TRR).  

It stems from an investigation by Ormond Beach police who began looking into abuse allegations at Riverbend Community Church and its affiliated school, Riverbend Academy last August.

Riverbend had just cut ties with Heyward Evans Jr., a worship pastor and teacher who admitted to groping and kissing three teenage girls decades ago when he was in his late 20s. This led to investigators asking other potential victims to come forward.

News about the probe got little publicity until a parent of a former student at Riverbend reached out to Peter Bell of the Sons of Patriarchy podcast and referred victims and witnesses to him. 

Bell began posting about the cases on social media on May 2. 

Although Evans, now 49, has the most allegations against him, Hargrave is also mentioned in the police report. 

One woman told investigators that in 1997, when she was approximately 13, she would often smooch with Hargrave, the then-19-year-old son of then-Riverbend Community Church Senior Pastor Roy Hargrave. This was after he drove her home from youth group events. 

But she said the encounters went beyond mere teenage make-out sessions.  Hargrave touched her genital area over her clothing during an event at a pastor’s home, she remembers, but she “did not say anything at the time because she did not want to draw attention.” They stopped speaking to each other after that, the report states. 

A man who attended the youth group as a teen told police that Hargrave had advised him “he could do whatever he wanted with girls if he kept his genitals in his pants.” He also reported that Evans was “very flirtatious” with “young female students.” 

At the time of the alleged assaults, Hargrave’s father, Roy Hargrave, served as senior pastor at Riverbend Community Church. The pastor resigned in 2015 due to health reasons, after more than 25 years of service.

TRR attempted to contact Nathan Hargrave multiple times but did not receive a response. Police said he did not respond to their calls either. Due to the cases being outside the statute of limitations, they closed their investigation last fall and unsealed their report.

The investigation begins 

Riverbend Academy, which is just north of Daytona Beach, opened in 2000. According to its website, parents and educators built the school on principles espoused by Idaho pastor Doug Wilson, a Christian nationalist and founder of the Association of Classical and Christian Schools. 

Ormond Beach police began investigating Riverbend after a parent alerted them of an August 2025 email from headmaster Jason Karr. It stated that Evans had been fired for “sexual misconduct with high school female minors” who were once part of the church.

Karr stated that the matter “recently came to the attention of the elders of Riverbend Community Church” with no details as to how they learned of it. 

But according to a police report, Karr told investigators that church leaders had recently become aware of a Reddit internet forum where an anonymous user described Evans as a pedophile. 

When church elders met with Evans, he “denied being a pedophile” but admitted to kissing and groping the breasts of three female teenage church members two decades before. 

When police began investigating, they learned of multiple allegations against Evans. 

One woman told police she began communicating with Evans on AOL instant messenger around 2002 when she was approximately 14. She said the messages “were always flirtatious,” according to the police report. 

As the relationship progressed, the woman said she gave Evans oral sex approximately five times at his apartment while still a minor. She described the encounters as consensual, although legally, she was not old enough to consent. 

The woman told police she was interested in pursuing criminal charges, but the statute of limitations had expired. 

Another woman told police she met Evans when she was 17 in the church youth group. Over a six-month period in 2002, they met at a park approximately a dozen times where they touched each other’s genitals and Evans “digitally penetrated her.” 

She also described the relationship as consensual and said it continued for a time after she turned 18. 

Two other women who met Evans as minors told police they had sexual relationships with him but those occurred after they turned 18. 

Riverbend’s response 

Riverbend Academy and Riverbend Community Church did not respond to a request for comment from TRR. Church elders issued a statement in August 2025, according to WKMG-TV Ch. 6, a CBS affiliate in Orlando. 

“Recently allegations of abuses taking place within the ministry of Riverbend Community Church have been brought to our attention as the current elders,” the statement reads. “We were not aware of these things and are brokenhearted to learn about egregious sin in our church’s past.”

The statement said the elders and church “condemn abuse” and “stand against actions to cover up or conceal sin.” 

“We desire to humbly listen to anyone who would like to speak with us,” the statement continues. “We desire to know the truth and set things right. We continue to pray for those who have suffered abuse. We are committed to keeping all in our ministry safe from abuse. We believe that the church above all should be a people who clearly demonstrate Christlikeness in every way. We acknowledge that the things we are learning do not reflect Christ.” 

Evans was let go that month after 20 years with the church. His Linkedin profile shows him working for a construction company in Ormond Beach. 

Riverbend held a members meeting that same month to provide information on Evans’ removal as worship leader, according to the Observer, a news site covering Ormond Beach. 

At the meeting, the pastor, Josh Brown, read a letter that stated a former female church member made a social media post the previous month with allegations against Evans, and that church leaders had recently met with her. 

Brown said Evans had repented for his actions and was in “right standing with the church,” according to the Observer. 

“This isn’t a church discipline meeting,” Brown said. “This is just a change in a staff position.”

Ormond Beach police determined that several sex offenses occurred within its jurisdiction; however, none of the cases were able to be prosecuted because the Florida statute of limitations had expired.

A police report states that one sex offense that was “forcible in nature” could still be prosecuted, but the victim did not want to press charges. 

The police report notes that investigators also received an “influx of telephone calls and voicemails” about alleged spiritual and emotional abuse, incidents that were outside the scope of their investigation. 

Evans is the son of Heyward L. Evans, pastor of Refuge Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of The Apostolic Faith. Inc., in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. This past April 4, the pastor wished his son a happy 49^th birthday on Facebook.

“I pray that the Lord bless him in a special way,” he wrote.

Ann Marie Shambaugh has reported as a print journalist in multiple states, including currently in Carmel, Indiana.