Televangelist Juanita Bynum beaten by estranged husband

A televangelist was badly bruised in a fight with her estranged husband as they met in an attempt to reconcile.

Photo: Televangelist Juanita Bynum beaten by estranged husband

Preacher Thomas W. Weeks III, founder of Global Destiny churches, will be charged with aggravated assault and terroristic threats, Atlanta police said.

The fight happened early Wednesday in a hotel parking lot near Atlanta's airport, and a hotel bellman pulled Weeks off Juanita Bynum, Officer Ronald Campbell said.

"She was bruised up and battered," Campbell told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "She had purple bruising around her neck and upper torso."

Weeks did not return a phone message or an e-mail request for comment Thursday by The Associated Press. A call to Global Destiny was answered only by a recorded message with information about the ministry.

Campbell told the AP on Thursday he was unsure if investigators had spoken with Weeks.

Asked about the fight, a woman who answered the phone at Juanita Bynum Ministries in Waycross said, "We're not at liberty to discuss it at this time." She did not identify herself.

Bynum is a former homemaker, hairdresser and flight attendant who became a Pentecostal evangelist. She got a break when Bishop T.D. Jakes invited her to speak at one of his conferences several years ago.

Her ministry blossomed after her "No More Sheets" sermon about breaking free of sexual promiscuity at a singles event. She writes books, records inspirational CDs and preaches to millions through televised sermons.

She married Weeks in 2002 in a televised wedding.