The wife of a pastor will testify against her husband regarding allegations of abusing eight children left in their care.
Law & Crime reports that a frustrated Keith Holt has learned that his wife, Candy Holt, will be testifying against him as part of a plea deal. While alone in an interrogation room, Keith Holt was recorded muttering to himself, “My wife turned against me. You’re the one who caused it.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, an Oklahoma pastor and his wife have been charged with child abuse, kidnapping, and child neglect involving as many as eight children.
Blackwell Police say Keith and Candy Holt beat the children with a board and locked them in a bathroom for days without food or water as punishment, KOKH reported.
Police Chief Jay Brewer stated that the Oklahoma Department of Human Services notified them about several children left home alone in January, and they received multiple calls from concerned individuals about the situation.
Officers went to the Holts’ home on January 14, but the couple refused to open the door. On January 15, DHS returned to the home, but again, the Holts did not answer.
On January 16, the Holts allowed investigators inside, where police say they found enough evidence to arrest them for child abuse.
The children were taken into protective custody.
Keith Holt told officers he was the lead pastor at the House of Prayer Church in Blackwell, but the church stated on its Facebook account that John and Nellie Jack were the church’s senior pastors.
“We do not condone child abuse in any form,” the church said in its post. “Please pray for our church.”
According to Law & Order, Keith Holt’s trial is set for February 25, 2025, for three counts of child abuse and one count of child neglect in Kay County, Oklahoma.
Candy Holt is required to “testify truthfully” against her husband, according to court records. She pleaded no contest to three counts of enabling child abuse and one count of child neglect.
On December 13, Candy Holt was sentenced to 10 years, with nine of those years suspended by the judge, leaving her to serve one year in the Kay County Jail.
Featured image: Keith and Candy Holt/Blackwell Police Department
