Minister arrested on charges of having sex with girls

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) – A Methodist minister accused of having sex with two teenage girls has been arrested in Mississippi.

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace told news media that 48-year-old Rev. Troy Anthony Piccaluga is charged with two counts of statutory rape and one count of sexual battery. He was charged Friday after being accused of having sex with girls between the ages of 14 and 16.

Piccaluga is the pastor at United Methodist churches in Eagle Lake and Redwood.

Pace says Piccaluga made contact with the girls between January and March.

Piccaluga is being held at the Vicksburg jail. It’s unclear if he has an attorney.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)