Megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar arrested for assaulting daughter

Fayette County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call of domestic violence at the home in unincorporated Fayette County around 1 a.m., Investigator Brent Rowan said. The 50-year-old pastor and his daughter were arguing over whether she could go to a party when Dollar “got physical” with her, leaving her with “superficial injuries,” Rowan said.

Dollar faces misdemeanor charges of simple battery and cruelty to children. He bonded out of Fayette County jail Friday morning. Dollar’s lawyer Nikki Bonner said he’s gathering information on the case and had no comment.

Dollar is the pastor for World Changers Church International in College Park, which serves nearly 30,000 members, according to the church’s website. World Changers Church-New York hosts over 6,000 worshippers each week, the website says. There are also four satellite churches in Georgia and others in Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Washington, Cleveland, Dallas and Houston.

He and his wife Taffi, a co-pastor at the church, have five children, according to the website.

Known for his pinstriped suits and charismatic sermons, Dollar was among a group of high-profile ministers whom Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley urged in 2007 to answer questions about their spending, board oversight and involvement in for-profit businesses.

Dollar resisted, comparing Grassley’s inquiries into church governance with questioning churchgoers about their prayers and confessions. The investigation wrapped up in January 2011 with no penalties for the pastors who refused to cooperate and no definitive findings of wrongdoing.