A dozen former church members who have alleged that Dallas pastor Rickie Rush sexually or physically abused them say they have long worried his political ties could complicate efforts to hold him accountable.
Rush, 62, has boasted thousands of followers over the decades, drawing a steady stream of elected officials to his side in public appearances.
Now, Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot has disclosed a personal relationship with Rush, leading a judge to appoint a special prosecutor in the pending criminal case against the pastor.
In a court motion in January, Creuzot asked a judge to disqualify his office from prosecuting the pastor, saying only that their work together on “various community outreach projects’' poses a potential conflict of interest, records show. Creuzot, who did not publicly announce his recusal, declined to provide further details.
The case appeared to be on the verge of going to a grand jury after years of accusations against Rush revealed by The Dallas Morning News and former members who spoke out on social media. Now, the public and those who have accused the megachurch pastor must wait even longer for the case to proceed as a new prosecutor becomes familiar with the case.
Rush, who continues to preach at his Inspiring Body of Christ Church, has denied the accusations.
“The delays are frustrating,’’ said Renee Phillips, the first person to go public, in January 2018, with allegations against Rush. “When we think it’s one or two steps ahead, it’s several steps backward. Justice is prolonged. And Rush is still around kids.’’
J. Brett Smith, district attorney of Grayson County, will take over the case and decide whether to present it to a grand jury. Smith works in Sherman, about 65 miles north of Dallas and farther from the pastor’s social orbit.
Creuzot’s recusal was appropriate, said Andy Chatham, a former Dallas district judge and prosecutor.
“There will always be whispers unless a prosecutor takes himself off a case that involves even the perception of a conflict of interest,’’ Chatham said.
Dallas police, who say their criminal case involves multiple victims, have not identified Rush accusers or specified the nature of the alleged crimes.
A News investigation identified Phillips and 11 other former church members who said Rush physically or sexually assaulted them at some point over the past three decades.
Police concluded that sexual assault allegations brought by Phillips, her sister Donna Fields and a third woman were too old to prosecute. The women and victim advocates publicly expressed concerns that police were not taking the investigation seriously.
Last year, police Chief Eddie Garcia said he wanted to assure the public the case is a priority. Detectives also began examining allegations made by Fields’ son, Marcus Bell Jr., who told The News that Rush raped and beat him at the church around 2007 when he was 13. His case appears recent enough to be prosecuted.
Rush’s lawyer, Michael Heiskell, has said all the allegations are baseless and part of a smear campaign on Rush’s “good name.’’ Heiskell and Rush did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
Powerful connections
As The News reported accusations against Rush, his attorney made a point of touting the pastor’s support in the community. Two years ago, Heiskell gave The News photos of Rush, apparently taken more than 10 years ago during an event at his former church building. The pastor posed with Dallas leaders, including several law enforcement officials, a school superintendent and a Texas state senator.
In late 2020, after The News reported on allegations that Rush beat children at his church while they were handcuffed, he held a Thanksgiving event to donate $100,000 to senior citizens who needed help with their rent. Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, Constable Tracey Gulley and Justices of the Peace Thomas G. Jones and Valencia Nash shared the stage with Rush to publicize the gift.
Those officials play no role in the prosecution of Rush’s case, but for Phillips and Fields the images sent a message that allegations of abuse against him should not be taken seriously, they said.
Gulley and Price later told The News that because Rush had not been convicted of any crime, they saw nothing wrong with supporting a cause he organized to help seniors.
“We all get accused of something, so who are we to judge?’’ asked Gulley, a member of Rush’s church who in 2010 was charged after participating in an illegal raffle but was acquitted.
Gulley, Jones and Nash did not respond to requests for comments for this story. Price said he maintains his position.
Rush’s accusers were more alarmed when former district judge Elizabeth Frizell ran against Creuzot in the Democratic primary. She had sat on the board of an IBOC school and tapped Rush to work on one of her previous campaigns.
Before she lost the DA contest in March, Frizell promoted Rush’s endorsement and declined to say whether she would recuse herself from handling his criminal case if she were elected DA. Legal experts and victim advocates said Frizell had an ethical duty to disqualify herself from the matter.
Creuzot has made at least two public appearances with Rush and other local leaders in recent years. One was at a 2018 church event where Rush delivered a guest sermon. The other was at a criminal justice conference two years ago where both spoke.
Handoff problems
In October, Dallas police hand delivered evidence to the DA’s office. But prosecutors later told police the case should have been uploaded electronically. Police said they were following department procedures.
Creuzot’s office said delivering the case by hand was allowed only for cases involving officers that Dallas police deemed “sensitive.” Dallas police said they have transferred other cases by hand, but in a written response to The News declined to say why the Rush case merited such treatment.
The Grayson County DA’s office received access to the evidence in late March.
Though a prosecutor from Grayson County is overseeing the case, a Dallas County grand jury would hear the evidence and decide whether to indict Rush. Smith, the Grayson County district attorney, declined to comment.
Police said they would keep working with Grayson County prosecutors on the investigation.
“The department expects that the process of presenting the cases related to Rickie Rush will continue,’’ police said in a statement. “The pursuit of justice is paramount.’’
