Danny Ray Kesler, a 59-year-old white male from Rockwell, NC, passed away on February 13, 2014. Kesler was a house parent at the City of Refuge Christian School, which is part of the Bible Missionary Baptist Church on Old Concord Road. On the day of his death, Kesler was confronted by church officials regarding allegations of inappropriate sexually related contact with three teenage girls who were living at the boarding school.
Following the confrontation, Kesler went outside and took his own life by shooting himself in the head.
The Rowan County Sheriff's Office investigated the allegations against Kesler, which involved inappropriate physical contact with children at the school. The investigation revealed that Kesler had a history of criminal convictions, including possession of marijuana, soliciting the sale of cocaine, driving while impaired, injury to personal property, probation violation, disorderly conduct, violation of court order, felonious forgery of instrument, and common law forgery. Kesler's wife, Sherry, who was also a house parent at the City of Refuge, was not implicated in the allegations.
The church and its pastor, the Rev. Buddy Hoffner, had previously faced controversy in 2002 when allegations of physical and sexual assault of children at the school surfaced, although no charges were filed at that time. The Rowan County Sheriff's Office continued to investigate the possibility of other potential victims following Kesler's death. The church officials had not notified law enforcement about the allegations prior to Kesler's suicide.
Kesler's death and the surrounding circumstances left the community in shock, as neighbors and church members grappled with the news of his suicide and the allegations against him. The investigation into the allegations and Kesler's past criminal history highlighted the complexities and challenges faced by the community in dealing with such sensitive and troubling issues.
