Former Putnam County Minister Pleads Guilty To Felony Sex Charges Involving A Minor

A former Putnam County church minister has pleaded guilty to two felony sex charges involving a minor. Phillip Carlen Loftis, age 53, has entered a guilty plea to Solicitation of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, a Class E Felony; and Attempted Aggravated Statutory Rape, also a Class E Felony. In a Press Release, District Attorney General Bryant C. Dunaway said that in September 2019, Investigators with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the District Attorney General’s Office with the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation began to investigate allegations regarding Loftis. At that time, Loftis was a resident of the Silver Point area of Putnam County and was a minister at a church located in Putnam County. Phillip Loftis used an online “chat” program to solicit a person he believed to be a 13 year old girl to engage in sexual acts. What Loftis did not know at the time was he was actually communicating with under cover law enforcement agents. Loftis will be placed on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry for a minimum of 10 years. Due to the nature of these charges and the fact that Loftis has had access to children in his profession, the public is asked to contact the District Attorney’s office or your local law enforcement agency if you aware of any other potential victims.