by Tolu Orekoya

Creflo Dollar, founder of the non-denominational World Changers Church International was arrested Friday for assaulting his 15-year-old daughter at his home in Atlanta, Georgia.

His daughter called the police on her father, stating that they had argued over her attending a party when the incident happened. The well-known pastor gave his version of the incident saying that he was restraining her because she was being disrespectful and when she began to hit him, he wrestled her to the floor, and spanked her.

From the Lubbock Avalanche Journal:

Around 1 a.m. Friday, his 15-year-old daughter called 911. She told a Fayette County sheriff’s deputy that she and her father argued when he said she couldn’t go to a party Saturday night, according to the report.

She went into the kitchen with her older sister. When her father asked why she was crying, she told him, “I do not want to talk right now,” the report said.

Her father charged at her, put his hands around her throat, began to punch her and started hitting her with his shoe, she told the deputy. The deputy noted a scratch on her neck.

Dollar told the deputy he wouldn’t let his daughter go to the party because of poor grades.

The deputy also interviewed Dollar’s 19-year-old daughter, who said her father grabbed the younger girl’s shoulders and slapped her in the face and choked her for about five seconds. She said her sister tried to break free, but did not fight back. When her father threw the 15-year-old on the floor, the older girl ran to get her mother.

The deputy also spoke to Dollar’s wife, Taffi, who said she did not see the fight.

After interviewing Dollar and the two girls, the deputy asked for written statements. The older daughter initially wrote a statement that contradicted what she had told the deputy and was more in line with what Dollar said. When the deputy confronted her about the discrepancies, she told him it was because her parents were with her. Later, when separated from her parents, she wrote what she initially told him.

Dollar, a well-known pastor known for his flamboyant and flashy lifestyle currently faces charges of simple battery and cruelty to children. He released a statement through his lawyer, Nikki Bonner saying:

“As a father I love my children and I always have their best interest at heart at all times, and I would never use my hand to ever cause bodily harm to my children. The facts in this case will be handled privately to further protect my children. My family thanks you for your prayers and continued support.”

Sources: Lubbock Avalanche Journal, Inquisitr