Pastor Dale Richardson accused of kidnapping, raping woman

A Summerville pastor accused of kidnapping and raping a woman at gunpoint told a judge in bond court Friday that he looked forward to putting up a strong defense.

As his accuser heard those words, she clung to a victim's advocate and sobbed.

Dale Richardson, 46, of Myrtle Way, said he serves as pastor of Freedom Free Will Baptist Church in Ladson and also manages a construction company called All-Safe Industrial Services.

His church's website describes him as a married father of two adult children who "dedicated his life to preaching and living the Holy life as handed down in Scripture."

Police records say he offered the woman a ride as she walked down Midland Park Road toward

Stall Road in North Charleston on Wednesday. She climbed into his white truck, and he proceeded to Palmetto Commerce Parkway and pulled over, according to an arrest report.

There Richardson pulled out a black and chrome handgun and pointed it at the woman, telling her to do as he said or die, the report said. He laid her seat back, put a pillowcase over her head and bound her hands in front of her with red construction tape, according to the report.

Then Richardson drove the woman to a home in Dorchester County and forced her to have sex with him, the report said. Afterward, it said, he took her to an area near Carolina Commerce Parkway and told her to walk into the woods, waing that he would kill her if she looked back at him.

The woman told investigators that she walked until she came upon a business and cried for help.

Because the alleged sexual assault was reported to have taken place in Dorchester County, charges in that case must be filed there. A Dorchester County Sheriff's Office spokesman said the case is being investigated and charges are pending.

North Charleston police arrested Richardson on charges of kidnapping and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. A North Charleston police detective said Summerville police had called the woman shortly before Richardson's bond hearing Friday to say that they had identified Richardson as the suspect in a similar case.

Summerville Police Capt. Jon Rogers confirmed a possible link, but said his agency's case remains under investigation. He said the June incident, reported as a robbery, took place on a dirt access road in the Lakes of Summerville community and involved a weapon but no injuries.

Standing before Charleston County Magistrate Linda Lombard on Friday, Richardson said he requested a lawyer only because of his inexperience with the court system.

"If you'll notice, my record is spotless and I look forward to defending myself in this case," he said.

Lombard set his bail at $525,000.

A lifelong resident of Summerville, Richardson joined Freedom Free Will Baptist Church in 2008, according to the church's website.

Addressing the judge Friday, he said, "I don't plan on going anywhere, and I have people standing behind me who will vouch for me."

Standing outside the bond hearing, Richardson's accuser begged any other alleged victims to come forward.

"He tried to kill me," she said. "He left me in the middle of the woods to die."

Between sobs, she asked how Richardson could seem so aloof, why he didn't even apologize.