That is why being informed is the only way to prevent or stop such atrocities from happening. Reach News-Leader reporter Gregory Holman by emailing gholman@gannett.com. 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.. Numerous former staff members are convicted child sex abusers, with many others suspected. Now, as more survivors come forward with their own horrific stories of abuse at Kanakuk Kamps, it seems apparent that Joe White and the institution he led Keith Dygert, another victim of Kanakuk abuse, called Seitzs bill a bill that would truly be a massive step forward in protecting the victims of sexual abuse in Missouri. The lawsuits allege camp officials knew about the mans troubling behavior, including swimming and riding four-wheelers in the nude with campers, but failed to remove him or keep him away from children. Chief executive Joe White was given a hard copy, said Scott Hastings, Dallas-based attorney for No More Victims LLC, which providedthe letter to the News-Leader in advance. No one deserves to carry the amount of shame that I experienced as a sexual abuse victim, Hoffpauir said. Because of Kanakuks ability to cover up the breadth of sexual violence that occurred, many victims never learned how far the problem expanded beyond their own case until they were past the statute of limitations, and now legal accountability is no longer an option for them, Dygart said. 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. The bible says the God does not wish for any to perish, yet people do perish therefore everything does not happen according to Gods will. This is a topic too big for a blog site to grasp effectively. Who wants that? My father has also been a director of other Christian camps and I can say that this was a horrific scandal that grieved everyone in the Christian camping community. WebSurvivors and family members of victims of sexual abuse at Kanakuk camps testified at a hearing before the Missouri House Judiciary Committee regarding a bill proposed by local state Rep. Brian Seitz to change laws to help survivors of childhood sexual assault. 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. 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. Joe White KNEW what was going on with Newman in 1999 and decided to promote him, instead of fire him, as he should have when the first incident of him riding naked on four wheelers with young boys who were also naked came to light. Hoffpauir said finding out this information helped him to finally tell his family about the abuse in 2022. Your email address will not be published. Part of a long list of survivors, Logan Yandell recently rejoined the fight against sexual abuse at Kanakuk Kamps by filing a petition for fraud. You cannot ignore it.. Morgan is convicted and sentenced to 10 years for statutory sodomy. For those who call themselves sex-abuse survivors, it's a matter of bringing the facts to light. I know Kanakuk and have known it for 50 years. Parents deserve facts before choosing to enroll their children to the care of any Kanakuk-related program. "Dozens of survivors and family members of survivors have collaborated on this letter," said Hastings, the No More Victims lawyer, on Thursday afternoon. Two similar lawsuits, both filed in 2011, were settled this year. The letter-writers also said, "We are only a small fraction of the Kanakuk survivors, yet our collective abuse experiences span from the 1950s to 2022." (Kanakuk was founded in 1926 and served more than 450,000 campers since then, according to its website. Many of its "kampers" come from affluent evangelical families living in Texas.) "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. Repeated failure to abide by mandatory reporting laws for child safety, molestation and abuse. Former Kanakuk counselor Lee Bradberry is sentenced to 10 years in prison for sodomy and other crimes he committed while on Kanakuk summer staff. And not all even survive.. A lawsuit filed on behalf of John Doe XII alleging sexual assault is filed against former Kanakuk Kamps Director Pete Newman, currently serving two life sentences plus 30 years in Missouri state prison for child sexual abuse. I agree with grump Get professional help IMMEDIATELY! 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. We encourage you to read them yourselves to truly understand the full scope of abuse and institutional wrong-doing by Kanakuk. On a call from Texas, Hastings declined to identify who owns the No More Victims limited-liability corporation. For more than a decade, Evan Hoffpauir believed the camp director who sexually abused him at the Branson-area Kanakuk Kamps had acted alone. 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. The nonprofit organization also employs about 1,800 staff members, tax records show. 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. 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 Her mother trusted Kanakuk to handle the situation internally, she added. 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. 11 Kanakuk has used NDAs to prevent survivors from publicly disclosing their abuse experiences and lawsuit findings. Trey Carlock Obituary (1990 - 2019) - Dallas, TX - Dallas 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. 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. have a no private alone-time policy between adults and minors and, for that matter, teenage junior counselors and the children they are supervising, with exceptions only during emergencies and when those happen, a full report by the adult of who he was with, what he was doing, and why they had to be alone together. Newman, now 38, received two life sentences plus 30 years. 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 Two days later, survivors and advocates connected to Kanakuk and other camping organizations rallied on the steps of the Texas Capitol to promote House Bill 206 and Senate Bill 751. Despite such agreements, multiple accusers have begun coming forward to share their grievances with Kanakuk. In their piece, the Frenches discussed Pete Newman, a former camp counselor at Kanakuk who in 2010 pled guilty to sexually On April 3, 2021, Kanakuk sent a cease-and-desist letterto No More Victims demanding that the group take down the FactsAboutKanakuk website, recently launched at that time. Following Newmans termination and confession of child sexual abuse, White sends an email to Kanakuk families that stated Newman is dealing with a personal family crisis while asking them to respect his privacy and keep [Newman] in your prayers.. When a statute of limitations is extended prospectively, organizations can make rational and appropriate decisions to reduce their liability exposure. http://stopbaptistpredators.blogspot.com/2011/04/complicity-in-baptistland.html. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Brian Seitz, R-Branson, would extend the statute of limitations for survivors of childhood sexual abuse, allowing survivors to file civil action until they turn 55 years old. This not only hinders the healing process for victims themselves but also allows perpetrators to continue committing violence as their victims age out of the statute of limitations, they report. Newmans duties with Kanakuk included recruiting, supervising and mentoring children. A federal case filed in Texas by John Doe III, originally filed in 2013, is settled because all matters in controversy between the parties have been resolved.. Anyone that knows Pete knows that he was a completely off-the-wall, wild, and fun guy who was always involved in something crazy going on at camp. Additional coverage of abuse allegations at Kanakuk is available here: 2023 Baptist News Global. Rebecca Randles, the Kansas City lawyer representing John Doe DK and his parents, said the alleged victim, now 26, is from southwest Missouri. Pete was, without a doubt, one of the most influential people in my boys decisions to accept Christ. The current civil statute laws only protect the perpetrator. Kanakuk has failed children for decades.. Survivors and family members of victims of sexual abuse at Kanakuk camps testified at a hearing before the Missouri House Judiciary Committee regarding a 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.. In its court motion, Kanakuk also said that some of the alleged abuse occurred when the plaintiff was not on the camps grounds. It is getting pretty sick down here. Others in support of the bill included a survivor of sexual abuse from a Boy Scouts leader in Missouri, a family member of a Boy Scouts sexual abuse victim who died by suicide, several advocates, and an attorney for victims of sexual abuse in Kansas City, who said he has to turn away "hundreds" of victims who are past the statute of limitations. Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here. Kanakuk has several camps, and the one Pete was in charge of was always sold out. Praying/hoping/wishing the best for all the victims and families. F ormer Kanakuk director Pete Newman has been in prison since 2010 for abusing boys from the popular Christian summer camp, but a recent report and petition The Bible does not tell us that the Lord allows these things to happen for a reason. He has access to thousands of children with little supervision. And then, I had to go and ask them if he molested them. Rep. David Tyson Smith, D-Columbia, along with other lawmakers, disagreed with those opposed. 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.. A claim of child sexual assault originally filed in federal court in Texas in 2011 against Kanakuk Kamps on behalf of a John Doe and Jane Doe is settled, and all related documents are sealed. Pete Newman receives two life sentences plus 30 years in Missouri state prison based on multiple counts of statutory sodomy and child enticement involving child abuse on Kanakuk property. Where I work, we try to be wise as serpents about this kind of thing. What we see here, though, is forgetting about our Constitution. The first civil lawsuits against Kanakuk and former Kanakuk Kamps Director Pete Newman alleging sexual abuse are filed on behalf of a Jane Doe and John Doe in Texas federal court. Many even take this burden to the grave. Ive just received this press release initiated by the Turley Law Firm. A new report argues a yearslong abuse scandal from a prominent former director at Branson-area Kanakuk Kamps was more widespread and systemic than The next step for Seitzs bill is an executive session hearing before a vote of the committee. "And I believed this narrative for over a decade.". Newman is serving a lengthy prison sentence for sexually abusing numerous boys during the decade that he held a supervisory position at the camp. Man first of all, we all need Jesus, that is a fact and a very big big fact! He worked at the camp from 1996 to 2009 as a staff member and director. He is sentenced to 10 years in prison. Wed add the need to ask for their policies on device usage (are campers or counselors allowed have them? Newman continues grooming and abusing campers. 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