The local pastor accused last week of sexually abusing multiple children is now charged with what amounts to producing child pornography.

Ralph Lee Aaron, 54, was jailed Wednesday on charges of sex abuse of a child under 12 and sodomy. He now faces an additional charge of production of obscene material depicting a child under 17.

Monday, Sheriff Dennis Meeks again declined to specify the number of victims, stating, “To lock it in at a number of victims wouldn’t be fair. Our ultimate goal is to identify what crimes have been committed and to whom, and to protect our victims at all costs because they are child victims.

“This is an awful ordeal for these families and the children involved, the church and their family, as well as Mr. Aaron’s family, who didn’t have a clue,” Meeks said.

“This is going to have an immense impact on the community, and although we can’t diminish the impact on the children, we can diminish the impact on the community,” he said.

Aaron, an Andalusia resident, was listed as the pastor of Grace Christian Fellowship on Shreve Road.

Monday, a Grace Christian Fellowship church member said Aaron was immediately fired from his position following his arrest, and members have been removing his name from any church property, including the sign in front of the building.

Currently, Aaron is being held under a $2.5 million bond, but that is expected to change. A press conference has been set for later today when law enforcement officials are expected to reveal the scope of the case against Aaron.

“We have a zero tolerance for sex crimes and non-compliance of sex offenders,” Meeks said. “Oftentimes, by the time we have identified a potential predator or child molester, they have already offended on multiple occasions against multiple victims.

“We hold dear the public’s trust to enforce all the laws of this state, but most especially those that protect our children,” he said.