Haslet pastor resigns after son arrested for failed sex offender registration

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HASLET, Texas - A Haslet pastor has resigned after his son, a sex offender, was arrested for failing to register his status and was revealed to have been working at a local school.

Haslet pastor resigns

What we know:

Heritage Baptist Church released a statement on Monday, March 2, announcing that Eric Crawford has resigned his position as pastor at the church.

Crawford had been on leave since late Feb. 2026 after his son, Caleb Crawford, was arrested for failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements. He allegedly failed to report his job status with the department, which he is legally required to do.

The church says it is taking more steps to enhance security practices, including a new visitor access system and more secure background checks, in the wake of Caleb Crawford's arrest. An increased security presence will also be seen at the church.

What we don't know:

No immediate replacement for Eric Crawford has been announced by the church. The church's statement says they will appoint an interim pastor who will guide the search for a permanent pastor.

Sex offender working at school

Affidavit reveals timeline of sex offender who worked at Haslet school

Arrest documents revealed the timeline of the arrest of a sex offender who worked at a Haslet school. FOX 4's Amelia Jones has more.

Dig deeper:

The church and its school, Heritage Christian Academy, recently terminated Caleb Crawford's contract as a maintenance worker after parents discovered his status as a lifetime registered sex offender. He was also one of the music leaders at the church.

Parents told police they saw Crawford working as a janitor and observed him installing security cameras at the school. They also said their children were able to identify Caleb Crawford by name and knew the car he drove.

Crawford's arrest affidavit also states parents told police that several staff members and teachers at the school knew of Caleb's status, but were told not to tell parents.

Former victim, family member speaks out

The other side:

Taylor Hamilton, Crawford's cousin, spoke with FOX 4's Amelia Jones in February about her cousin's history of sexual indecency.

When Hamilton was 12, she says her cousin, Caleb Crawford, who was 17 years old at the time, started sexually touching her.

Redacted court documents say the unwanted touching mostly happened over clothes. It continued until Hamilton was 14 and Caleb Crawford was leaving for college at 19.

Survivor speaks out against sex offender working at church school

The cousin of a convicted sex offender is speaking out after he was found working at a private Christian school in Haslet, revealing she was the victim in his 2016 conviction. FOX 4's Amelia Jones has more.

Caleb Crawford was arrested for indecency with a child. The trial in 2016 ended with Caleb taking a plea deal. He would go to prison for two years and be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

"It's a big thing for me to be able to say this happened to me, but it doesn't define who I am. To be able to put a face to a name for people because this isn't just an accusation. This is something that he was convicted of and served time for. No matter what anyone says, he was found guilty," said Hamilton.