On July 30, former Marathon pastor Monte Chitty, 64, entered a plea of no contest before County Judge Derek Lewis to one count of sexual battery and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Lewis sentenced Chitty to six years in the Florida Department of Corrections, followed by 10 years of sexual offender probation.
The court also designated Chitty as a sex offender for life, requiring him to comply with Florida’s lifetime sex offender registration and extensive reporting requirements. Chitty was further ordered to pay a total of $1,300.00 in fines and court costs, in addition to $2,374.75 in prisoner transportation costs.
According to the investigation, deputies with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office responded on March 3, 2024, after receiving information that a 15-year-old victim said she had been sexually assaulted. Detectives determined the victim had been at a local church where Chitty provided her with alcohol before the assault.
During the investigation, detectives obtained and reviewed text messages exchanged between Chitty and the victim that corroborated the victim’s account. Chitty admitted sending the text messages and acknowledged providing the victim with alcohol. Based on the investigation, he was arrested.
While the state sought a more significant prison sentence, the negotiated plea resolved the case without requiring the victim to return to Monroe County or testify at trial, consistent with her expressed wishes.
“Holding offenders accountable is always our priority, but when justice can be achieved without forcing a victim to relive a traumatic experience in a courtroom, that is a significant consideration,” said Chief Assistant State Attorney Joseph Mansfield. “This resolution accomplishes both by securing a state prison sentence, long-term supervision through sexual offender probation, and lifetime sex offender registration.”
Chitty skipped his arraignment after his original arrest and fled the county, but was arrested four days later after approaching a church group in Texas. Additional charges from fleeing the state were dismissed as part of the resolution of the case.
