A new report argues a yearslong abuse scandal from a prominent former director at Branson-area Kanakuk Kamps was more widespread and systemic than Jody Jones, who flew from Utah to testify, was a camper at Kanakuk in 1985, when she was 8. Newman's abuse of campers and others he met through Kanakuk-affiliated ministries often began with casual nudity and discussions about how to control sexual Trey was a Kanakuk Kamps abuse survivor and for years fought valiantly against the trauma he suffered. Keith Dygert, who said he was abused by Newman, reached a settlement with a non-disclosure agreement "at a time when only a small portion of the story was actually known," he testified. Additional coverage of abuse allegations at Kanakuk is available here: 2023 Baptist News Global. Missouri currently stops the clock at 31-years-old, and youre pushing child rape victims, forcing them to sprint a race when theyre struggling just ot survive and heal., This is not fair, and it makes justice impossible.. Pete Newman is indicted and convicted of multiple counts of sex abuse against dozens of Kanakuk campers. Through no fault of their own, children and/or the medically disabled who have been abused in the past are being abused again by not being able to hold their perpetrators to account in civil actions.. It names Kanakuk; its president, Joe White; and Newman as defendants. When camp directors told her mother about the abuse, they informed her they were unaware of other cases of abuse at Kanakuk and advised her against going to law enforcement about the abuse, she said. The third witness, Keith Dygart, reported on his own settlement with Kanakuk, describing the immense toll his legal battle took on his family. Those who identify as survivors, along with family members, sent an open letter to camp leadership Thursday with their demands. Kanakuk must be held to account. On a call from Texas, Hastings declined to identify who owns the No More Victims limited-liability corporation. So far, we know of over 15 deaths of despair associated with Kanakuk abuse. A claim against Kanakuk Kamps for sexual abuse is filed in Texas federal court by John Doe III. All rights reserved. Through no fault of their own, children and/or the medically disabled who may have been abused in the past are being victimized again by not being able to hold the perpetrators to account in civil actions, he said. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. @grump. Victims of sexual abuse by former Kanakuk Kamp staffer Pete Newman (pictured above, currently serving 2 consecutive life sentences plus 30 years) have come This website is dedicated to sharing what is known and what needs to be brought to light. Victims ofsexual abuse byformer Kanakuk Kamp stafferPete Newman(pictured above, currently serving 2 consecutive life sentences plus 30 years) have come forward and are taking legal action. Joe Whites private pilot, Robert John Morgan, who flies him to speaking engagements and medical appointments, is indicted on charges of sodomizing a female victim under the age of 14. These offenses include sexual assault of a child, aggravated assault of a child, continuous sexual abuse of a young child or disabled individual, sex trafficking of a child, compelling a child into prostitution and indecency with a child. The charges included sexual misconduct, statutory sodomy and child molestation. The bill would extend the age limitation for victims bringing civil action against any perpetrator of sexual violence or torturous acts against a vulnerable victim to 55. The groups are seeking reforms in laws regarding the statute of limitations for sexual abuse. As a child growing up in Branson, Hoffpauir was involved with Kanakuk's youth ministries, and said he was abused by Kanakuk director Pete Newman from 1999-2003. They confiscate his laptop, terminate his employment and send him home. Kanakuk Kamps worked extensively with authorities to provide information used in the investigation and prosecution of Mr. Newman. The law was telling me there was nothing to be done about it, and the clock had run out on me. Lord, come soon. Sources tell the Branson Tri-Lakes News committee members are split on whether to pass the bill. Second, uppn getting hired this summer I was interviewed Very Very Very strictly about this kind of stuff, I had far more than one conversation about it and questions beyond questions and even tests about this stuff. Let me start by saying that I am not here to protect some sex offender, AuBuchon said. And explain to them what he was accused of, and then later tell them that he had confessed. On May 27, 2022, two days before the Kanakuk summer season started,USA Todaypublished a detailed report Survivors ,ex-employees say Kanakuk Christian camp ministered to its sexual predators. This national story drew from a collaboration withUSA TodaysMissouri affiliate which had released a three-piece investigative series earlier that week. As I sought out legal action in an effort to hold my enablers accountable I was crushed to find out I was a few years past the Missouri statute of limitations, Hoffpauir said. Four witnesses who say they were abused at Kanakuk Kamps, a popular evangelical camp outside Branson, Mo., testified before Missouris House Judiciary Committee Feb. 13 in support of House Bill 367. A lawsuit, Doe IX v. Kanakuk Heritage Inc., is filed in Missouri state court alleging multiple instances of sexual abuse by Pete Newman and subsequent cover-ups by Kanakuk leadership. Newman is known to have abused more than 50 Kanakuk campers prior to his conviction in 2010. . He was skilled, personable, friendly, outgoing, and passionate. The motion noted that thousands of campers attend Kanakuk camps every year and the vast majority have positive experiences., Simply put, Kanakuk truly believed they were running a good, Christian-influenced camp. While Morgan awaits trial, White invites him to live on Kanakuk property. This is the most important thing. This is a topic too big for a blog site to grasp effectively. Kanakuk cannot be held liable for failing to supervise defendant Newman when he was outside the scope of his employment and not on Kanakuk property, the motion said. Again I say, we need Jesus, especially me, man I probably need Jesus more than Pete. Pingback:Scoop blog: Lawsuit against Kanakuk, a popular Christian summer camp, alleges child molestation by employee | Dallas Info, whatever wrote at March 12, 2011 at 10:20 am: you cant trust anyone completely when it comes to your kids.. i also was, last year, the sole reference for a young woman who got hired as a camp counsellor in another camp. she never told anyone until 10 years later, she was so ashamed and embarrassed. Joe White testifies that he had thought Newmans nudity with children, such as naked basketball, was improper, immature and inappropriate. He states that he never considered that Pete may be dangerous around kids.. The plaintiff in the Taney County case, John Doe JG, was from Arkansas and was 12 in 2003 when the alleged abuse began. Joe Alarcon, father of Ashton Alarcon from Amarillo, Texas, spoke in Texas on behalf of Kanakuk survivors, including his son, who was abused in multiple states, including Texas, he said. Camp officials said they had terminated Lee Bradberry, 22, of Auburn, Ala., in July 2011 after learning from campers of an incident in which he had behaved inappropriately. As a 7th grader, I didnt even understand I was being abused. The misfortune at Kanakuk is in part a result of creating an environment in which religious fundamentalism is the order of the day and a ploy to attract clients. Joe White begins an apology tour, flying privately to visit victims families in person and showering them with gifts, including free camp tuition, hunting trips, iPads, Disney World vacations and fruit baskets. But he didn't survive past the age of 29, so now I refer to him as a victim, and I'm trying to be his voice.". The acts perpetrated upon these people are wrong. A new lawsuit has been filed against Kanakuk Kamps. Trey Carlock Obituary (1990 - 2019) - Dallas, TX - Dallas The problem I have with White and Kanakuk is that they continued to employ Newman for years(even sending him to stay in the homes of some of the boys he molested to recruit other kampers)AFTER they had him sign a probationary agreement acknowledging his inappropriate behavior with young boys all in the name of PROFITnot a Prophet! While many children have experienced a joyful summer at Missouri-based Kanakuk, for many others it was a nightmare that continues throughout their life and a perpetual trauma that a growing body of evidence shows could very well have been prevented had leadership acted as they should have. "Dozens of survivors and family members of survivors have collaborated on this letter," said Hastings, the No More Victims lawyer, on Thursday afternoon. you would think there would be more of a screening process for those entrusted to young children. Wed add the need to ask for their policies on device usage (are campers or counselors allowed have them? Your email address will not be published. The 2019 publication Molestation and Abuse by Camp Counselors lists 22 summer camps in Texas. However, even though he accomplished all of those things, he could never get out from under the weight of his trauma, and after spending years believing Kanakuks claims they did not know about Newmans abuse, discovered Kanakuk had known about Newmans actions. An Evangelical Empire Between 2003 and 2008, Yandell was abused by camp counselor and director Peter Pete Newman multiple times, in multiple states as well as in China during a mission trip. This is a centralized source for gaining knowledge and for sharing experiences and resources. However, if you have fewer than a handful of kids a 2nd adult provides accountability and deterrence, and if you have more kids than one adult can safely manage then a 2nd adult is needed from a pure management perspective. Want to share a story? Newman is currently serving two life sentences plus 30 years in prison. Joe Alarcon, father of Ashton Alarcon from Amarillo, Texas, spoke in Texas on behalf of Kanakuk survivors, including his son, who was abused in multiple states, including Texas, he said. The website, which went live on Saturday, includes links to court documents for six lawsuits in which Kanakuk and senior staff members, including Joe White, were names as defendants. Evan Hoffpauir, another victim who spoke at the hearing, said he did not learn for years that Kanakuk Kamps was aware of his abusers predatory tendencies the year they met, in 1999. The Missouri case was filed July 26 in Taney County Circuit Court by John Doe DK and his parents. The bill defines a vulnerable victim as any person who was disabled, a minor or both at the time they were sexually abused. He testified he tried to move forward in life, including getting a college degree, getting married, and getting involved in his community. As a victim of sexual abuse by a family friend and babysitter, I can tell you that the majority of sexual abuse is by people you trust and it is key that EVERYONE not just camps and schools recognize the signs of an adult or older child who is preying on younger children. , filed by Rep. Brian Seitz (R) and co-sponsored by Rep. Sarah Unsicker (D), proposes an extension of the civil statute of limitations. Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and significant financial settlements have concealed the truth in order to preserve a ministry brand and economic engine. She later learned her abuser has worked with children at multiple institutions in the decades since her abuse, she said. Paul Kerr, a former Kanakuk counselor hired in 1998, pleads guilty to child abuse in Missouri state court. Survivors and family members of victims of sexual abuse at Kanakuk camps testified at a hearing before the Missouri House Judiciary Committee regarding a I have covered this case from the beginning and was in the courtroom when Pete Newman was sentenced. Pete Newman is hired as a counselor and abuses children at Kanakuk Kamps as he moves up the ranks to father-son retreat leader, assistant director, and eventually director of K-Kountry. Camp attorneys threatened an "imminent" lawsuit against No More Victims last April, according to a copy of their cease-and-desist letter Hastings provided the News-Leader at the time. Hoffpauir said finding out this information helped him to finally tell his family about the abuse in 2022. According to the Kanakuk website, the Child Protection Plan includes professional criminal background checks for every employee, mandatory sexual abuse prevention training for every staff member, staff education conducted by nationally recognized sexual abuse prevention experts, and educating all campers and staff on how to report inappropriate behavior. What you can do is insist that organized entities like schools, churches, etc. Kanakuk continues to rank among the best-known Christian camps in the country and serves over 20,000 kids a summer. The press page on its website now leads with a link to a 322-word statement on abuse, which describes the Newman case without mentioning his name and apologizes to victims and their families. Kanakuk leadership reacts in various ways, including visiting families to get more information and disallowing some reporting parents children to return to camp. The bill "cannot stop these events," Seitz said, "but will allow for these children who are now adults, to call the people to be held to account, and creates a path for civil actions to benefit the survivors, and provide some form of restitution and accountability.". The bill also would allow civil actions that were barred or dismissed due to the civil statute of limitations to be revived within the confines of legislation. Key facts and new revelations about sexual abuse at Kanakuk Kamps: No More Victims, a Kanakuk watchdog created by survivors and their families, has Newman pleaded guilty in 2010 to seven counts of sexual abuse, and the prosecutor said Newman's victim count might be in the hundreds. "The law was telling me there was nothing to be done about it, and the clock had run out on me.". Webownership of the camp and many Kanakuk affiliates are alleged to have abused youth from the 1950s-today. Parents expect camp to be a fun place for their children to deepen friendships, learn new skills, and build their character within an environment that practices the highest child safety standards. Threatened with outside legal action, Newman writes a confession letter. I know it. Former staff members solicited child sexual abuse material (child porn) from campers. I think so.. A jury trial had been scheduled for January, but the lawsuit which was moved to Christian County was settled in September for an undisclosed amount. http://crimesceneinvestigations.blogspot.com/2011/03/federal-lawsuit-filed-in-texas-against.html. "A short statute of limitations can be lethal, as my family knows," Phillips said, later adding: "I used to refer to him as a survivor. In Feb. 2010, Newman pleaded guilty to seven felony charges of sexually abusing boys; in June of that year, he was sentenced to two life sentences plus 30 years in prison. For years, I just fought to be myself, he said. Vide the Catholic Church, Oral Roberts University and a host of right wing churches. A Texas family notes in the obituary of a former camper that he was a survivor of Kanakuk Kamps abuse. I work at a camp similar to Kanakuk. 11 Kanakuk has used NDAs to prevent survivors from publicly disclosing their abuse experiences and lawsuit findings. Survivors advocating for extension of the statute of limitations say restrictions on the time they have to seek justice prevent them from taking legal action. Sadly, new allegations of systemic sexual abuse of children by adults, child-on-child abuse, and cover-ups at Kanakuk have recently come to light through a series of investigative reports based on new survivor testimony and witness accounts from former Kankuk employees. In March of 2021, a group of Kanakuk abuse survivors and their family members launched Facts About Kanakuk , a WebSexual abuse survivor sues Kanakuk Kamps, claims lies influenced 2010 settlement agreement Springfield News-Leader Kanakuk actively concealed what they knew about the sexual abuse being perpetrated by Pete Newman and induced victims and survivors into settlements and NDAs, said Robert Thrasher, one of Yandells attorneys, in a news Do they have access to the Internet? Take action by signing this petition to urge Joe White and Kanakuk Ministries to allow victims to have a voice. Rick DiGiorgio, a Birmingham, Ala., attorney who represented the plaintiff in the most recent lawsuit to be settled, said the cases send a strong message: Anyone who witnesses an adult behaving in a disturbing manner around children must take action. The nonprofit organization also employs about 1,800 staff members, tax records show. "Your clients website defames Kanakuk with baseless and dangerous allegations," Houston-based attorneys for the Missouri camp wrote, complaining of "unsubstantiated 'facts,'" and a "concerted misinformation campaign against Kanakukin hopes of attracting potential sex abuse victimsmost likely for its own (financial) gain.". The first victim with Kanakuk ties who spoke at the hearing, Elizabeth Phillips, discussed how the bill would help prevent self-harm and suicidal thoughts, which multiple victims said is a pressing issue among Kanakuk survivors. Kanakuk has camps in and near Branson and provides summer sessions for more than 10,000 youths ages 7 to 18 each year. An investigation by journalists Nancy and David French, who called Kanakuk "the worst Christian sex abuse scandal you've never heard of," first reported Kanakuk's alleged early knowledge of Newman's behavior. Ed Ringheim, a former K-1 counselor and volunteer for K-Life Orlando, is charged with eight felony counts of sexual assault and sentenced to 15 years in Florida state prison. This lawsuit may be the tipping point that puts Kanakuk out of business, but I think Joe White must be held accountable for placing powerless young children in the path of a known pedophile. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. A lawsuit is filed in Missouri state court by a John Doe and his parentsalleging sexual abuse by Kanakuk Kamps. It sucks but that is just how it is. Even defendants in this particular case, no matter how abhorrent, have a right to due process in the state of Missouri, and our job is to preserve the right to due process.. The 2019 publication. He represents Kanakuk Kamps on recruitment trips and leads father-son retreats. Its time to stop the clock for child sex abuse survivors, Phillips said. 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