MT. VERNON – A 28-year-old former pastor and school athletic director is due to appear in Jefferson County Court today for a final hearing leading up to a jury trial on charges of child grooming.

Garrett Biggerstaff of McLeansboro is charged in two separate cases in Jefferson County Court with Class 4 felony grooming.

A June 6 jury trial date is currently set for the former pastor of Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Fairfield. He had also been serving as the athletic director of Spring Garden Consolidated Community School District until his resignation in November when the case went public.

Investigations began in September 2022 when the Benton Police Department received information from a juvenile who was claiming to be the target of some form of sexual exploitation.

Officers handling the complaint in Benton contacted the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and started a coordinated investigation that resulted in a search of Biggerstaff’s homes and ultimately his arrest.