Megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar Jr. arrested

Megachurch pastor Dr. Creflo Dollar Jr. early this morning was arrested by Fayette County deputies and charged with simple battery and cruelty to children after an alleged physical argument with his 15-year-old daughter over a party.

Detective Brent Rowan tells CL that sheriff's deputies responded to a domestic disturbance call at the charismatic preacher's family residence off Sandy Creek Road in northwest Fayette County about 1 a.m.

According to the incident report, the 15-year-old daughter told deputies she began to cry after Dollar, the founder and senior pastor of World Changers Church International, said she would not be allowed to attend a party on Saturday night. When Dollar asked why she was upset, she replied, "I do not want to talk right now." The daughter claims the pastor charged at her in the kitchen and "put his hands around her throat and began to choke her." He then allegedly "slammed her to the ground and began to punch her and took his shoe off and started whooping her with it."

Dollar told deputies that after telling her she couldn't attend the party because of her bad grades at school, the daughter:

... became very disrespectful and he approached her and tried to restrain her. Dollar stated that while restraining her, she began to hit back and then he wrestled her to the floor. He stated that while on the floor, he began to spank her on her bottom and the back of her legs. Dollar said after the spanking, his daughter calmed down and he advised her to go to her room.