Child Molestation Charge Lands Ex Cobb Pastor, Bus Driver In Jail

COBB COUNTY, GA — A former Cobb County pastor and bus driver accused of molesting three victims over a decades-long period of time was arrested last week.

Rodney Colston, 64, of Powder Springs, was arrested last Monday and charged with one count of child molestation, according to jail records.

He was formerly a pastor at Temple Baptist Church of West Cobb for more than 20 years and worked for the Cobb County School District as a bus driver for more than 10 years, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Colston's arrest stems from an investigation that began in February after another bus driver reported that Colston said something about molesting two girls, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the AJC. Investigators identified the two victims, who are now adults, as well as a third victim who's still a minor.

The two adult victims reported Colston's sexual abuse past the statute of limitations, but the third victim, now 14, said the ex-pastor molested her about seven years ago. Colston admitted to molesting one of the older victims, he told police over the phone, but denied all other accusations.

Colston also resigned as a pastor in October 2021, two months after his wife died from COVID-19. His successor, Joshua Hon, said Colston's resignation was not due to the investigation as far as the church knows, he told the Marietta Daily Journal.

Colston was released from the Cobb County jail one day after his arrest on a $25,000 bond.