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A Crestview man who volunteered at Crosspoint Church’s kids ministries was arrested Wednesday after his plane landed at Destin Fort Walton Beach Airport by Okaloosa Sheriff’s deputies. Crestview Police have since charged Robert Morris Watson, III with molesting a child at the church.
an earlier version of this report used the words daycare facility in line with the police affidavit. We’ve since learned Watson volunteered solely with the kids ministry and not with Crosspoint Childcare.
He’s charged with lewd or lascivious behavior – molestation of a child under the age of 12 by someone 18 or older and cruelty toward a child. If found guilty, a court can sentence a defendant with an adjudication of guilt to life in prison.
The Okaloosa County Jail released Watson on a $10,000 signature bond on March 5, jail records reveal.
According to the Okaloosa Clerk’s Website, Watson has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Watson will have his felony plea hearing on May 8 at 1:30 in the Crestview Courthouse.
According to a Crestview Police Department affidavit, 35-year-old Robert Morris Watson, III, violated the law by intentionally touching the genitalia of a child with a doll when in a bathroom attached to the class.
The Police affidavit also claims Watson struck the child’s face when the child told him ‘no’ during the interaction. According to the arrest report, the injuries from the incident were severe enough to leave “bruising, swelling and burst blood vessels inside the eye.”
Crestview Police say one incident took place around February 10, but allege this happened multiple times. The police affidavit records September as the beginning timeframe for the investigation.
The child, who reported the incident to their parent, said it occurred on February 10, 2025, and described Watson as “The bad teacher“.
Forensic interviewers who spoke to the child said they knew the difference between a truth and a lie.
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According to the arrest affidavit, the officer investigating the case spoke with the campus pastor, who noted that Watson had volunteered in the 3-5-year-old daycare room for about two years. Watson later explained that after officers gave him his Miranda Warning, he volunteered twice a month for some period of time.
The officer discovered from another witness that the daycare center has a policy that “requires two adults to be in each class for supervision purposes,” but that “he had been left without another adult in the class,” in the past.
Crosspoint Church’s leadership sent out an email Thursday morning acknowledging the arrest to members throughout Okaloosa and Walton Counties.
In the email, the Lead Pastor for all campuses of Crosspoint Church Jeremy Smith told members that “a former volunteer in our Kids Ministry at the North Crestview Campus has been arrested for incidents that are reported to have occurred on that campus.”
Smith told members that the church’s first priority was the safety of children. “These kids are our kids, and I want you to know that once we were notified, we immediately reported to authorities and took action to remove the volunteer from any further services.”
Smith also asked for members to pray for everyone involved in the allegations and to refrain from rumor-spreading about the matter. “As this matter unfolds, I would encourage us as Christians not to engage in gossip and to pray for all people involved. In fact, I am asking that as soon as you get through reading this, please spend a few minutes in prayer for this whole situation.”
Pastor Smith reiterated in phone call with Mid Bay News that his staff are cooperating with law enforcement in the investigation and that they removed the volunteer and contacted authorities as soon as they received the allegations. “We are praying for Law Enforcement and the judiciary as this process plays out,’ Smith said, “I’ve been here for 14 years and I believe in this community. I would ask everyone to spend time praying for everyone that this story touches. These are real people and real families. That is what we are going to do as a church.”
Smith added that the church is unaware of any other incidents involving students or volunteers at the church at this time.
