A pastor in a small Arkansas town is facing drug charges after police say a “life threateningly emaciated” 21-month-old child found at his church led to the discovery a botched exorcism and meth possession. Lloyd Eddie Lasker Jr., the pastor of the House of Refuge and Deliverance in the town of Mayflower, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a gun by a convicted felon after the bizarre series of events earlier this month. According to an affidavit filed by the Conway Police Department, it all began with a welfare check on Sept. 18 for the toddler, who was subsequently found at the church “with multiple bruises from head to toe” and clearly malnourished. The mother reportedly told police the child was “possessed by a demon,” and Lasker echoed that when tracked down by police four days later, saying he “tried to exorcise the demon” but offering no further explanation. Police say Lasker was also caught in possession of meth and went on to admit to using “meth in the church several times” with church members, including with the child’s mother.
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