Lake Havasu pastor and school board president David Rose says his new book, From Prison to Purpose, is about redemption — a message forged through hardship long before his rise to local leadership. The autobiography is set to publish early next year.
In an exclusive interview with State 48 News, Rose confirmed that his book traces his journey from a young man with a criminal record in Florida, Ohio, and Kentucky to a husband, pastor, and now political candidate for Arizona’s Legislative District 30.
“I was raised in church,” Rose said. “But I also came from a broken and abusive home.”
He doesn’t hide from his past. “I have never run from my past. I tell my story everywhere I go,” Rose told State 48 News. For Rose, this is a big part of his ministry as a pastor.
Rose said that when he ran for school board, Democrats tried to use his past as a gotcha moment. “I tell my story more than anyone,” said Rose, the pastor-turned-political candidate.
Public records reflect a turbulent early life. His legal troubles began at age 21 in Florida, with charges for petty theft and related fraud. Over the next decade, Rose faced charges in multiple states for theft by deception and check fraud, including several felony convictions in Kentucky.
During that period, Rose co-founded a short-lived newspaper venture that collapsed amid fraud allegations, lawsuits, and an eventual arrest warrant.
At the height of his time in media, WHAS11 reported in 2011 that “Rose, who is only 28 years old, worked hard to get noticed in Louisville. His newspaper, the Metro Messenger, was distributed in dozens of stores. He personally updated local stories daily on his newspaper’s website. Rose entered the media world with the help of his new girlfriend, who is also his business partner.”
As the paper unraveled and court dates loomed, Rose admits he “went on the run,” eventually being captured in California and extradited back to Kentucky to serve his sentence.
PHOTO CREDIT: HEADLINE FROM WHAS11
He clarified that the newspaper was launched with his then-girlfriend, whom he described as an “equal partner” in the business, and that it ended badly for everyone involved.
While incarcerated, Rose said he experienced a life-altering shift. “I gave my life to God,” he said. “I started ministering to other inmates, and that’s when everything changed.” In Kentucky, for non-violent crimes, rights are automatically restored after prison after fines and parole is completed.
He laughed as he added, “My wife likes me to make it clear that she didn’t know me in my pre-Jesus days.”
Photo Credit: David Rose Facebook. Crystal Rose, President Donald Trump, and David Rose (2025). Pastor Rose and Crystal serve on President Trump’s National Faith Advisory Board.
In 2020, Rose and his wife, Crystal, founded Restoration Hope Church in Lake Havasu City, where he now serves as lead pastor. He was later elected president of the Lake Havasu Unified School District Governing Board, where he emphasizes family-centered values. Now stepping onto the statewide political stage, Rose has announced his run for the Arizona House of Representatives in LD30. He told State 48 News that his campaign and his upcoming book share the same message: “You can’t talk about redemption if you’ve never fallen. My story isn’t about perfection. It’s about purpose after failure.”
As Rose moves from pulpit to public office, Prison to Purpose is poised to serve as both testimony and campaign platform — a story of faith, failure, and the long road to purpose.
