Fugitive pastor and his wife are caught at famous southern tourist hot spot

A fugitive South Carolina pastor and his wife accused of depraved abuse against their children have been arrested outside the Grand Ole Opry.

Myron Chorbajian, 73, and his wife, Kathleen, 70, were nabbed outside the famous country music venue in Nashville, Tennessee on May 15.

They were later extradited back to South Carolina and together face nearly 40 separate abuse charges, all of which are alleged to have occurred at their home in Greenville.

Investigators with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office told WHNS that the allegations against the married couple involve their eight children and spanned back to the 1980s.

They had seven adopted children and one biological daughter. One of the victims contacted law enforcement in April to tell them about the extensive abuse that allegedly occurred in the family home.

Myron, a pastor at 1st Southern Methodist Church, has been charged with three counts of sexually assaulting his female children when they were between the ages of 11 and 14.

According to an arrest warrant and an April investigative report, Myron’s sons were also allegedly subject to extreme physical violence from him.

Investigators claim that Kathleen was aware of this alleged sexual and physical abuse and did nothing to intervene. Her arrest warrant claims she was present for many of the extreme punishments her husband allegedly doled out. 

He allegedly forced one child to ‘search dumpsters and eat rotten and discarded food.’

Myron Chorbajian, 73, and his 70-year-old wife, Kathleen, together face nearly 40 separate charges related to allegations of serious child abuse against their children that the victims claim happened as far back as the 1980s

The couple was arrested near the the Grand Ole Opry, a famous country music venue in Nashville, Tennessee

Authorities say all the alleged abuse occurred at this Greenville home, where the family has lived since 1983 according to public records

Another instance of alleged abuse involved Myron beating one of his children to the point that they lost consciousness. 

There were two separate instances where Myron allegedly struck one of his kids upwards of 50 times in a row while they were wearing just underwear or were completely naked, according to the arrest warrant.

His chosen implements for the alleged beatings were belts and paddles, according to the warrant.

One time, he allegedly broke a coffee mug over a child’s head, which later led to them being diagnosed with epilepsy. 

Myron is said to have also forced a child as young as seven years old to sleep in and eat trash from a garbage can.

The arrest warrant also detailed instances of graphic animal cruelty he allegedly engaged in while his children were present.

Police say Myron killed a dog belonging to one of the children before forcing the child to bury it. He also ran over a child’s kitten and shot it in the head while the child was present, according to the warrant. 

Myron faces three counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor, three counts of incest, and one count of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree.

He also faces 14 counts of unlawfully placing a child at risk and two counts of second degree assault and battery. These charges stem from the alleged beatings and trash-eating punishments.

Myron (pictured preaching at his church on April 27) and Kathleen are being held in the Greenville County Detention Center without bond

It’s not clear how long Myron has been a pastor at his hometown church, or whether he’s been let go as a result of the criminal case against him

Kathleen also inappropriately disciplined her children with brutal methods, police said.

She allegedly forced one of them to eat an entire bar of soap. Another time, she is accused of hitting a child in the head with a skillet, leaving visible bruises and ‘unknown head trauma.’

Kathleen faces fourteen counts of placing a child at risk, harm or abandon. She was also charged as an accessory after the fact of two felonies.

Kathleen was not charged with any sexual abuse, but authorities say she ignored her children when they told her about it. 

Deputies with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office have said two of the victims, who were children at the time of the alleged abuse, have since died. No cause of death was given.

Myron and Kathleen are being held in the Greenville County Detention Center without bond.

Given their age, the couple has a serious chance of spending the rest of their life in prison if they are convicted of the litany of charges against them. 

Based solely on the criminal sexual contact charges, Myron faces decades behind bars if convicted.

It’s not clear how long Myron has been a pastor at his hometown church, or whether he’s been let go as a result of the criminal case against him.

The last time he was seen preaching was on April 27, according to the church’s Facebook page. The church didn’t immediately return a DailyMail.com request for comment.