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San Luis Obispo pastor on leave amid accusations of inappropriate behavior

Mountainbrook gives statement
Mountainbrook Church website
Mountainbrook Church accepted Thom and Sherri O'Leary's decision to resign from their pastoral positions.

UPDATE: Mountainbrook Church said new allegations were raised prior to the scheduled 4 p.m. congregational meeting on Sunday.

The church is continuing to investigate these claims.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - A San Luis Obispo pastor is being placed on leave from his position at a popular church amid allegations of "inappropriate behavior."

Mountainbrook Church announced that Pastor Thom O'Leary would step away from his position after the church launched an outside investigation into serious allegations of inappropriate behaviors. The church said in a statement on their website that they found the accusations to be credible.

A congregational meeting will be taking place on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Mountainbrook Church Auditorium where church officials are planning to share more information.

According to the SLO Tribune, Mountainbrook Church is said to be one of the largest churches in San Luis Obispo. O'Leary has been the Lead Pastor for over 22 years.

O'Leary and his wife, Sherri O'Leary, will be away from their positions until February, according to an email sent by the church's board of directors to the congregation on November 24.

According to O'Leary's website, he graduated from Cal Poly in 1984 with a degree in broadcast journalism. During his time there he played football for the school.

He is also recognized on the radio with his short feature, "Straight from the Heart".

O'Leary is on the San Luis Obispo Police Chief's Roundtable, which is an advisory group to the Police Chief.

He also serves as a chaplain for the SLO Police Department as well as the chaplain for the Cal Poly Football team for the past 12 years.

Article Topic Follows: San Luis Obispo County

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Julia Nguyen

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