A representative for Kanakuk did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but declined to comment on similar allegations late last year, and said that "we continue to pray for all who have been affected by Pete Newman's behavior. 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 third witness, Keith Dygart, reported on his own settlement with Kanakuk, describing the immense toll his legal battle took on his family. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. But Kanakuks reputation and reach conceals a dark secret. 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. Alumni and donors deserve the truth as well. The Bible does not tell us that the Lord allows these things to happen for a reason. sent an open letter to camp leadership Thursday, theletter outlines three demands from the survivor community, "hot tub Bible studies" with minors in his care, Former Kanakuk counselor Peter Newman named in new sex-abuse lawsuit, Lawyers honored for $20 million lawsuit against former Kanakuk camp director, begun coming forward to share their grievances with Kanakuk, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. And not all even survive.. Kanakuk counselor who abused boy in Texas reported to police At least one Kanakuk counselor Paul Green was investigated by police years before Newman Seitz referred to the victims of Kanakuk who would be testifying. Despite multiple indictments and convictions, the sex scandals surrounding Kanakuk have never received the attention needed to bring about real change. She noted Missouri in 2018 removed the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse on the criminal side, and testified it was time to catch up on the civil side of the law. Praise God. Anything less than what this bill proposes gives perpetrators and the institutions that harbor them an advantage over abused children and their recoveries. 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. I have been desperately trying to warn a church in MS about an admitted child sex offender who is a minister and was fired by Prestonwood Baptist for credible accusations of abuse by several boys in 1989. And explain to them what he was accused of, and then later tell them that he had confessed. You can learn more about our reasons, our requests, and examine existing evidencehere. 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. Reach News-Leader reporter Gregory Holman by emailing gholman@gannett.com. Dygert testified White and leadership at Kanakuk had caught Newman engaging in sexual abuse of children at least three times before his arrest and despite being mandatory reporters in Taney County there is no evidence Kanakuk leaders reported these situations to law enforcement or any government authority. It hardly took any time at all for Pete for start sexually abusing me, Dygert testified. (Kanakuk was founded in 1926 and served more than 450,000 campers since then, according to its website. 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. If a non-profit organization or business knows Missouri has eliminated its statute of limitations for a particular type of claim, it can adopt an appropriate retention policy.. Kanakuk did not know what Newman was doing on his off-hours. Rich AuBuchon, a registered lobbyist for the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, and Missouri Civil Justice Reform Coalition, also spoke against the bill but wanted to claim at the start of his testimony his issue was not about the subject matter which brought forth the measure. 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. Her mother trusted Kanakuk to handle the situation internally, she added. In reading the lawsuit, the camp had to know. I didnt know to fight for myself at that time, Jones said. Paul Kerr, former Kanakuk counselor hired in 1998, pleads guilty tofelony sex assault of a child, as well as two other misdemeanor charges in Colorado state court. Your email address will not be published. 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. As the largest Evangelical Christian sports camp in the world, with thousands of children participating each year and an annual revenue of more than $30 million,Kanakuk Kamps should be one of those trusted places. The bill also includes a retroactive piece, called a window or revival law, which allows cases that were barred or dismissed due to a statute of limitation to be revived during a window of two years. According to NCOSE, Kanakuk was put on the 2022 Dirty Dozen list due to multiple reports of child abuse at its camps, including one written by David and Nancy French for The Dispatch in March 2021. Maybe Mr. White was trying to contain the situation or do damage control by keeping Pete Newman on staff (knowing that if he was terminated, the truth would likely become known), but his decision to retain Newman in the face of his criminal behavior against the campers was a terrible lapse in judgement. In motions filed in the lawsuits, Kanakuk officials deny knowing that Newman posed a threat to children while working at the popular camp. A new report argues a yearslong abuse scandal from a prominent former director at Branson-area Kanakuk Kamps was more widespread and systemic than Let your courts hear these cases. Survivors have also come forward with reports of child-on-child sexual abuse in other words, campers assaulting other campers. 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. The 59-year-old man was found dead with cuts on his head, arms and legs. She said not only was he welcomed back to Kanakuk in 2017, having posted a photo of himself and CEO Joe White at the camp on Facebook, but he has also worked in Kanakuks KLIFE, three different schools, and has been a girls volleyball coach. Not 31, not 50. For more than a decade, Evan Hoffpauir believed the camp director who sexually abused him at the Branson-area Kanakuk Kamps had acted alone. 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.. Kanakuk has several camps, and the one Pete was in charge of was always sold out. Several witnesses also appeared before the committee to oppose the changes within Seitzs bill. In 2021, Hoffpauir learned Kanakuk knew about his abusers actions against children yet failed to protect him and other children, he said. In March of 2021, a group of Kanakuk abuse survivors and their family members launched Facts About Kanakuk , a An unknown number of incidents were reported to camp leadership that went unacknowledged or unaddressed. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Morgan is convicted and sentenced to 10 years for statutory sodomy. It is 52. Pete was articulate. The two recent lawsuits were filed in Missouri and in federal court in Dallas. The camp developed its Child Protection Plan in 2009, after one of its directors was arrested and charged with abusing children hed met at camp and through related ministries. And when camp leaders learned that he was playing nude basketball and swimming nude with minor boys, it alleges, they sent him to a lawyer but continued his employment. Despite such agreements, multiple accusers have begun coming forward to share their grievances with Kanakuk. He is sentenced to 10 years in prison. Where I work, we try to be wise as serpents about this kind of thing. I also have a copy ofthe lawsuit that I understand is currently being filed- the defendants include Kanakuk Ministries, Kanakuk Kamps owner Joe T. White, and Pete Newman. On Twitter, find him at @GregHolmanNL. With the release of the new articles, former Kanakuk campers, staff and sexual abuse survivors have come forward from cities that include Dallas and Amarillo, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Nashville, Tenn.; and Praying/hoping/wishing the best for all the victims and families. My brother was silenced with an NDA," one of the family members told CBS 11. Kanakuk leadership maintains they had no advanced knowledge of his behavior, and Newman was a "master of deception. An investigation would alsoholdcamp officials accountable for abuse, improvecamp conditions and providerestitution for any victims, No More Victims argues. So they told my mother about the abuse, and she said they encouraged her not to call the authorities because it would be traumatic and hard for a young girl to go through.. Re: Just a New Staff Member- News Investigation Exposes Kanakuk Kamps Decades-Long Child Abuse Coverup WASHINGTON, DC (May 26, 2022) The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) renews its calls for Kanakuk Kamps leadership to acknowledge their failure to protect countless children that were in their care from sexual abuse.Survivors, family i also was, last year, the sole reference for a young woman who got hired as a camp counsellor in another camp. The retroactivity of the legislation is particularly concerning because of how it impacts organizations that rely on the law, Essma said. Former staff members solicited child sexual abuse material (child porn) from campers. I am happy that Newman received his punishment, but I am sad that this has caused problems for such a great camp. A new lawsuit has been filed against Kanakuk Kamps. Kanakuk Kamps, a Branson-based Christian sports camp network that draws thousands of youths every summer many from the Kansas City area is facing two lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by a former director. Because of the shame he felt for what was done to him, he did not tell anyone about his abuse until 2009, when his abuser was on trial and he told his wife. Please be aware that this website may contain information and images that some may find disturbing. The plaintiff in the Taney County case, John Doe JG, was from Arkansas and was 12 in 2003 when the alleged abuse began. 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. Kanakuk leadership then confronts Newman, who initially reveals about 15 names of boys he had abused. Want to share a story? Hoffpauir noted in a public Facebook post intended to gain public support that speaking out might have been the hardest thing that Ive ever done. Other survivors are posting support on social media and sending messages to committee members. This is unbelievable considering the PN case. We agree with that. Joe White continued to promote Pete and bury complaints of those outside the camp who had witnessed suspicious behavior, Dygert said. NCOSE leads the Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation with over 300 member organizations. 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.. If this camp had had AND ENFORCED a 2-adult policy, I doubt very much that Newman could have molested anyone, at least not without the active and on-the-spot cooperation of other adults. Victims of sexual abuse by former Kanakuk Kamp staffer Pete Newman (pictured above, currently serving 2 consecutive life sentences plus 30 years) have come Survivors of child sexual abuse are attempting to enact laws in Missouri and Texas to change the legal landscape for Christian camps that cater to children and teens. Take action by signing this petition to urge Joe White and Kanakuk Ministries to allow victims to have a voice. They did, however, issue a statement regarding Newmans actions and their subsequent response. This is not the first cover-up accusation Kanakuk has faced. But by the time new evidence was uncovered through national media investigations, Hoffpauir was too old to file a civil suit against the camp and its leadership. Let me start by saying that I am not here to protect some sex offender, AuBuchon said. Documenting the Catholic Sexual Abuse and Financial Crisis Data on bishops, priests, brothers, nuns, Pope Francis, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Documenting the Abuse Crisis in the Roman Catholic Church Established June 2003, https://www.bransontrilakesnews.com/news/local/article_8d7278d8-aed9-11ed-acc0-6738f0cfff1b.html. Yeah, I think so.". Rebecca Randles, the Kansas City lawyer representing John Doe DK and his parents, said the alleged victim, now 26, is from southwest Missouri. Former Kanakuk staff member Corbie Dale Grimes is fired for sexual misconduct with campers, but since he was not reported to law enforcement, Grimes went on to work in youth ministry until a 2002 conviction. A Texas family notes in the obituary of a former camper that he was a survivor of Kanakuk Kamps abuse. At a minimum, we want their pain, suffering, silencing, and deaths to be acknowledged. In a motion filed in October, Kanakuk argued that the plaintiff cant hold the organization liable for Newmans actions because the Missouri Supreme Court has ruled that molesting children is a personal crime that is not a part of a persons job duties.. Do they have access to the Internet? The full scope of victims is still unrealized, he added. Joe Whites private pilot, Robert John Morgan, is indicted on incest charges against his biological child. And at 8 or 13 or those younger years when I was trying to tell what happened to me, I didnt have the strength. The Missouri case was filed July 26 in Taney County Circuit Court by John Doe DK and his parents. Kanakuk and one of its counsellors, Pete Newman, have been involved in lawsuits related to abuse Newman committed at the camp. Soon afterward, he begins a 14-year history of sexual crimes with male campers. Jody Jones, who flew from Utah to testify, was a camper at Kanakuk in 1985, when she was 8. The nonprofit organization also employs about 1,800 staff members, tax records show. On a call from Texas, Hastings declined to identify who owns the No More Victims limited-liability corporation. We all are sinners and even in a rough situation like this all sin is equal according to the Lord we are all guilty and deserve death. Ive just received this press release initiated by the Turley Law Firm. Kanakuk leadership reacts in various ways, including visiting families to get more information and disallowing some reporting parents children to return to camp. No one deserves to carry the amount of shame that I experienced as a sexual abuse victim, Hoffpauir said. We encourage you to read them yourselves to truly understand the full scope of abuse and institutional wrong-doing by Kanakuk. He pleaded guilty in Taney County in 2010 to two counts of first-degree statutory sodomy, three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy and three counts of child enticement. 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