Minister Arrested for Solicitation of Prostitute

TYLER — A Lindale minister is out on bond after being arrested for prostitution. According to KETK, jail records indicate Ronald Stribble, 66, was arrested Wednesday by Tyler police. Officials say communication between Stribble and an officer acting as a prostitute was initiated on social media. They say Stribble made arrangements to meet a woman at a motel on Loop 323 near Old Jacksonville Highway. Police say Stribble was arrested and jailed after they determined he came to the motel for “sexual relations.” He was later released on $500 bond.

Stribble, the senior adult minister, has served First Baptist Church in Lindale since 1990. He served as the church’s music pastor for 20 years. He was also a charter member of the Singing Men of East Texas, which was founded in 1974. In 2009, Stribble took on a new ministerial role as the pastor of pastoral care and senior adults. Following his arrest, Stribble resigned.