HALL COUNTY, Ga. – Joaquin Garcia, the charismatic leader of megachurch La Luz Del Mundo, has been looking to build in Hall County, Georgia.

Those plans have been cut short after Garcia was arrested in a major sex trafficking case, WSB-TV reported.

Three others also have charges of sex trafficking, child rape and child pornography.  

Hall County residents and homeowners were vocal about their opposition to the church’s development, worried about the impacts on roads and property values, WSB-TV reported.

Garcia claims to be a modern-day Apostle of Christ and wanted to build a nearly 300-acre church complex on Hog Mountain Road in Flowery Branch, which would include housing, retail offices, hotel, church space and more.

Officials involved with the case say the charges against the church leader and others involve three girls and a woman in Los Angeles County, California. A spokesperson for the church has denied the allegations.

According to the Flowery Branch website, the church applied for a zoning change to start the construction of the gigantic church:

Due to the high level of interest in the potential rezoning application of 5071 Hog Mountain Road by LDM Central USA Evangelical Ministries, the City of Flowery Branch provides the following Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for citizens and other interested parties. If you have additional questions, please email our city clerk, Melissa McCain, at melissa@flowerybranchga.org.   We will continue to update this section to keep our community informed.  

FloweryBranch website

The city of Flowery Branch has not made an official statement regarding the future for the megachurch.

PHOTO: La Luz Del Mundo Facebook page