A Louisiana pastor has been arrested in Texas for allegedly raping a child. Shane Phillip Wiggins was taken into custody earlier this month after Louisiana authorities issued a warrant for his arrest. He’s now facing charges of first-degree rape and child molestation.
According to Morgan City Police, the investigation started in December when a mother came forward and accused Wiggins of sexually abusing her child. The abuse allegedly happened over the past few years. Police interviewed the victim and several witnesses, but Wiggins refused to talk to investigators. When they tried to reach him, he had already vanished.
Detectives soon found out Wiggins had skipped town and wasn’t answering calls. A judge signed off on a warrant for his arrest.
Chris Holloway, the senior pastor at Little Pass Baptist Church, said Wiggins suddenly left the Baldwin Baptist Mission Church in early February. “Shane left town around the first of February,” Holloway told the Baptist Press. “My last conversation with him was on Jan. 28, 2025.”
Wiggins had been a pastor at the church before 2011 and came back in 2015.
After working with Texas police, investigators tracked Wiggins down in Paris, Texas. He was arrested and taken to the Lamar County jail, where he’s waiting to be sent back to Louisiana.
In his statement, Holloway added: “We at Little Pass condemn the alleged crimes by Shane Wiggins and wholeheartedly pray for the victim in this matter as well as the family. We trust God to bring healing and restoration to them.
“We pray as well for Shane Wiggins and his family – praying for a genuine repentance to capture his heart.”
Wiggins has not publicly responded to the charges.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article described Shane Phillip Wiggins as a “pro-Trump” pastor. The characterization was based on information from a source in Louisiana, who later said they could not confirm their initial claim. We have removed the description pending further verification. If confirmed, the detail may be reinstated.
