Former youth pastor serving time for sexual assault charged with murder for hire plot

In 2017 a former Youth Pastor at Calvary Fellowship in Downingtown, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty to institutional sex assault, corruption of minors and child endangerment.

Jacob Malone, then 35, was sentenced to 3-6 years in prison after Judge Jacqueline Cody rejected an earlier plea deal that had called for a minimum sentence of 2 years saying it was too lenient.

The initial charges against him included one for rape.  At the time, according to his defense attorney, Evan Kelley, Malone "has always been adamant" that he did not rape the girl, but admitted to his other crimes, "And for that he is embarrassed, ashamed and truly remorseful."

Now, Malone has once again been arrested and charged, this time with a murder for hire plot against the judge that sentenced him and his former head pastor.

Malone is said to have offered a fellow inmate $5,000 to kill Pastor Harold Lee Wiggins, and said that he would give more money as well for the death of Judge Cody.

“The District Attorney’s Office is deeply concerned about these extremely serious allegations. Most importantly, we can confirm that the victims involved in this case are safe. We are committed to assisting the Pennsylvania State Police and the Somerset County District Attorney’s Office in their investigation,” District Attorney Deb Ryan was quoted as saying in a press release posted to Facebook.

The charges against him include attempted murder, criminal solicitation, attempted aggravated assault and making terroristic threats.

He will be back in court on March 10th for a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Kenneth Johnson.