Sylacauga Pastor Arrested on Multiple Child Exploitation Charges Following Federal Cyber Investigation

OXFORD, Ala. (BuzzReport) — A Sylacauga pastor is behind bars after local, state, and federal authorities arrested him on multiple child exploitation charges stemming from a lengthy cyber investigation initiated through tips submitted to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Aubrey Jamaal Butler, 46, the senior pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Sylacauga, was arrested on eight counts of Electronic Solicitation of a Child and one count of Production of Obscene Matter Containing a Visual Depiction of a Minor, according to Oxford Police Chief Daniel Phipps.

Butler was booked into the Calhoun County Jail, where he remains held on a $108,000 bond.

According to investigators, the case began after cyber tips were forwarded to law enforcement through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Detectives with the Oxford Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division launched an extensive investigation, working alongside multiple state and federal agencies to identify and apprehend the suspect.

Agencies assisting in the investigation included the District Attorney’s Office for Alabama’s 7th Judicial Circuit, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Secret Service, the United States Marshals Service, and the East Alabama Crime Center.

“The Oxford Police Department remains committed to protecting children and investigating crimes involving the exploitation of minors,” Oxford Police Chief Daniel Phipps said in a statement.

Detailed Charges

According to court warrants, Butler is accused of producing child sexual abuse material between June 27, 2025, and September 15, 2025.

The eight counts of Electronic Solicitation of a Child allege that Butler used electronic communications to entice or attempt to entice a person believed to be a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity during multiple time periods, including:

• June 21–22, 2025
• June 27–September 17, 2025
• July 1–2, 2025
• July 21–22, 2025
• July 23–24, 2025
• August 31–September 22, 2025
• September 22, 2025
• February 13–June 18, 2026

Under Alabama law, Production of Obscene Matter Containing a Visual Depiction of a Minor—commonly referred to as the production of child sexual abuse material—is a Class A felony, punishable upon conviction by 10 to 99 years or life in prison.

Each count of Electronic Solicitation of a Child is a Class B felony, carrying a potential sentence of two to 20 years in prison upon conviction.

Pastor Since 2017

According to public records, Butler has served as the senior pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Sylacauga since at least 2017. Before assuming that role, he served as a minister at First Missionary Baptist Church in Munford.

Prior Criminal Case

The current arrest is not Butler’s first encounter with law enforcement.

In 2005, Oxford Police arrested Butler after alleging that he approached a 13-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy in separate incidents and attempted to persuade them to enter his SUV by offering them money to participate in the production of pornography. Police said neither child entered the vehicle, and the alleged attempts were unsuccessful.

A Calhoun County grand jury later indicted Butler on a felony charge of enticing a child for immoral purposes involving the 13-year-old girl.

Court records show that in 2008, Butler entered a guilty plea to the reduced charge of attempted custodial interference, a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to one year in the Calhoun County Jail, followed by two years of probation. Butler received credit for 210 days he had already served while awaiting the resolution of the case.

At the time of his 2005 arrest, Oxford Police said Butler had recently moved to Alabama from Florida and had a criminal history in that state. However, details regarding any Florida convictions have not been publicly released. Authorities also noted that Butler has never been listed as a registered sex offender in Alabama.

The current investigation remains ongoing, and investigators have not said whether additional charges or victims may be identified as digital evidence continues to be examined.