Former Sandy Springs Pastor Sentenced On Molestation Charges

SANDY SPRINGS, GA – A pastor with a long history of serving churches in the greater Atlanta area has been sentenced to five years in prison and 15 years of probation after pleading guilty to child molestation charges.

Benjamin “Gus” Harter, 81, pleaded guilty to three counts of child molestation in August, according to the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office. Harter must also register as a sex offender once he is released from prison.

Harter was arrested in August 2019, five days after the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office learned of the allegations that Harter had molested a girl under the age of 16. Harter had been the pastor of Ebenezer Primitive Baptist Church in Sandy Springs since 2014.

He was removed from that position following his arrest after previously pastoring at churches in Florida, Kentucky, Texas and the Philippines as well as Atlanta. Harter was the pastor at Bethany Primitive Church, now located in Suwanee, for more than 30 years beginning in 1971, the Associated Press reported.

Last year, 11 Alive reported that Harter was accused of molesting a girl under the age of 16 multiple times between 2012 and 2015. At the time of his arrest, Harter had a home in Cumming and according to his arrest warrant, the pastor was accused of being in bed with and touching the genitals of the girl on multiple occasions.

According to the report, Harter and his wife have adopted 19 children in addition to their own five adult children. The couple has 20 grandchildren, according to the report.