Waxahachie youth pastor pleads guilty to sexually assaulting 4 minors

WAXAHACHIE – Ellis County and District Attorney Ann Montgomery announced that Marvin Scales, 53, of Waxahachie, Texas, pled guilty to two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a young child, one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child, and one count of sexual assault of a child.

Scales was sentenced to 50 years in prison on Sept. 23.

In August, Waxahachie police were alerted a 14-year-old girl was in labor at Baylor Scott & White Waxahachie. 

Scales was present with the child at the hospital, and according to hospital staff, he was “overly involved” in the delivery process. 

A warrant was obtained for the baby’s DNA, and it was confirmed that Scales was the biological father of the 14-year-old’s child.

This led to an active investigation of Scales. 

Even though he was already registered as a sex offender, Scales had acted as a youth pastor at a local church.

Once the congregation learned about the first victim, more victims began coming forward. 

Scales regularly took the congregation’s children on overnight trips, and he would have the children sleep over at this house. 

Victims disclosed that Scales would regularly have sex with them on these trips and overnight stays.

Scales also had an extensive security system installed at his home. Several sexual assaults of his victims were recorded by security cameras and Scales himself would record the assaults and keep the recordings at his home. This led law enforcement to discover even more victims of Scales’ sexual abuse.

“This is an unusually heinous case of child sexual abuse,” said Montgomery after the sentencing. 

“When a person of authority – especially in a religious institution – is the abuser, it can be incredibly difficult for victims and their families to speak out. 

“We commend the bravery of the children who came forward to ensure that no other child suffered due to Scales’ abuse, and our hearts are with those children who could not speak out. With this sentence, justice is done for all of Scales’ victims. We hope now they, and this entire community, can begin to heal.”

Continuous sexual abuse of a young child is a first-degree felony with a punishment range of 25-99 years or life in prison. Aggravated sexual assault of a child is a first-degree felony with a punishment range of 5-99 years or life in prison. 

Sexual assault of a child is a second-degree felony with a punishment range of 2-20 years in prison. On the two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a young child, Scales is not eligible for parole and will have to serve all 50 years of his sentence.

Assistant County and District Attorneys Hope Sumrow and Grace Pandithurai prosecuted the case. The case was investigated by Detective Austin Starkey of the Waxahachie Police Department.