agape ranch abuse

On March 9, 2021, AG Schmitt announced 102 charges against the Householders, including rape and physical abuse. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time Federal lawmakers say they plan to introduce legislation to curtail abuses in the industry. Im trying to aim for a decent life, you know what Im saying? (Knock her out! he can be heard saying.) Former Calallen ISD teacher Joseph Sandoval sentenced to 35 years in prison for sexual abuse . For example, when many foster children age out of the system, they have lived in an average of 12 foster homes. Published: Mar. 90% of young adults aging-out of the foster care system will become homeless, incarcerated, in prostitution, sex trafficked, or dead within three years. After abuse allegations at Circle of Hope Girls Ranch, a religious boarding school near Agap, began spreading on TikTok last spring, the Cedar County Sheriffs Department opened an investigation, which the state attorney general joined and is ongoing. All Rights reserved. Staff members at Agap don't have to go through background checks, and the facility is not required to document how or why children are restrained. These punishments, former students say, were often administered in a small room down a dark staircase, in the basement of the church, with blue padded floors and holes punched in the wall. By JIM SALTER. Agape Ranch-courtesy photo. The five employees of the Agape Boarding School near Stockton were charged with a total of 13 third-degree felony assault counts, Cedar County Prosecuting Attorney Ty Gaither said. Alumni of Christian boarding schools for troubled teens in Missouri, including Agape and Circle of Hope, say state laws prevented inspections, enabling abuse to continue for decades. It has not come up for a vote yet, but key Republicans in the Legislature have already signaled support. The way Bryan tells it, in the 1970s, Kathy was a single mom whod found Jesus but still had a mischievous streak. At a hearing in the Missouri Legislature on Wednesday, a department official said it has been difficult to substantiate abuse allegations at religious boarding schools due to "a culture of restricted access.". 24, 2021 at 10:23 AM PDT | Updated: Mar. This created an environment ripe for abuse to happen. Former students wonder if its because of this that authorities failed to act sooner. Tuesday, The Independent reported that DSS substantiated 10 preponderance of evidence claims of physical abuse at Agape. Recently, individuals associated with Agap have been accused of a growing list of crimes. Former students said their communication with parents and local authorities was censored. Since it claims to be a Christian organization, is not regulated by the state because of a religious exemption. Lawmakers held hearings and introduced a bill that would give the state some oversight. And I did get saved.. Many of these programs, which are estimated to serve as many as 200,000 kids at any one time, are allowed to operate with virtual impunity, thanks to federal inaction and permissive state laws. Ellie Hill Smith, a state lawmaker from Missoula, was concerned that this meant the state had no way of ensuring children were safe in these programs. Staff called it the intake room. He grabbed the bat, charged toward the front of the cafeteria, and shattered a plate-glass window. The site was littered with old barrels, wood piles, abandoned cars, and insulation containing asbestos. Agape Boys Ranch Entrance. Youre dirtbags, youre hoodlums. The charges come after the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated allegations of abuse at the boarding school. That's no secret, as news stories in The Christian. He is pleased to hear the Missouri attorney generals office is now investigating Agape Boarding School. A 2007 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found thousands of abuse allegations between 1990 and 2007 in 2005 alone, 33 states reported 1,619 staff members involved in incidents of abuse. Agape had 132 students 13 months ago, its lawyer, John Schultz said. Josh Bradney, 19, who attended Agap from 2014 to 2016, said staff members slammed him to the ground when he told his parents on a phone call that Agap employees hit another boy with a football helmet. Relevance: This course is designed for master's level counselors, addiction professionals, and nurses who have direct client contact. Agap, which according to its parent handbook costs $39,000 a year, is also influenced by Lester Roloff, a radio evangelist and pastor who founded schools for teenage girls in the late 1960s that relied on physical abuse and immersion in biblical teachings to reform them. Shrag is holding an Agape year book. They would say, Youre nothing. It was a video secretly recorded at nearby Circle of Hope Ranch that finally moved state authorities to get involved. The three were convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The allegations of abuse were filed at the Cedar County Circuit . The Missouri AG launched a joint investigation with Cedar County authorities. Seven boys tested positive for tuberculosis. Plaintiff was allegedly physically, sexually, and emotionally abused while under the care and supervision of . In other words, Grandmother can spank the children as can Agap.. . Thanks to the generous support of The Frazier Family Foundation, Gala sponsors, Gala attendees, and the community, $369,402 was raised in support of the next two homes at The Ranch during the 2021 Legacy Gala: A Matter of Time! Interested in learning more about the 2023 Legacy Gala? Indeed, the version of the school students describe, community members say, is starkly different from the Agap the town has come to know. They said that they were bringing me to my parents, he says. Earlier this year, Smock, the schools longtime physician, was charged with 12 felony sexual-molestation crimes against those in his care. Though the area is largely Baptist, Cedar County has a tradition of religious tolerance. The next morning, Breshears made a plan with the other students to start a riot. That evening, as Agaps 150 students and staffers were finishing up dinner, Breshears spotted a fellow conspirator flash a thumbs-up. Munton allowed the school to remain open, with state supervision.Allegations of physical and sexual abuse at Agape and nearby Christian boarding school Circle of Hope Girls' Ranch prompted a . First published on January 11, 2023 / 6:04 PM. Nonetheless, the outcome of the civil suits is far from certain. One student said staffers had branded him with a cross. January 11, 2023 / 6:04 PM NWS confirms EF-1 tornado near Goodman, Mo. And they would never tell you how long your stay in Brown Town will be, Breshears says. Several former Pinehaven students and staff members told CNN in 2012 that children were choked and assaulted at the ranch, accusations that Larsson denied and said were the work of Satan. The state attorney generals office claims that Agap staff threw students into walls, pushed them to the ground, ordered them to perform 1,000 pushups, intentionally starved them, and forced them to sleep in handcuffs and wear them for as long as eight days. Posted Apr 03, 2022 11:00 AM. The school states on its website that its staff are trained in proper restraining tactics, which are only used if a child is a threat to others and last for just a few minutes. People who have care, custody, and control of those children have that right, as well. Its just a very scary place to be, Bradney said. Jacob smelled foul and the . DSS added . The team at Agape Ranch said they wanted the youth there Friday night to know that they are valued. And its not just Missouri. One of them is Robert Graves, a student turned staffer who joined as a sheriffs deputy and married Kathy and Jims daughter, and is listed as a member of the board of an Agap-affiliated church. The Department of Social Services declined to comment on its investigations into Agap and the interviews with students, and would not release records, but said that there have been no substantiated reports of abuse or neglect at the school. The site, designed as a Christian camp, had cabins, a shower facility, a mess hall, and a small chapel. Agaps handbook states it has a strict hands-off policy regarding the students, and does not use corporal punishment. We are the best rehab . (NBC News presented a copy of Clidences nondisparagement agreement to Agap to confirm or dispute its authenticity, but the school did not respond.). That was the last straw; they had him committed. All Rights Reserved. Our rehabilitation center in Fort Lauderdale for substance abuse embraces a universal, unconditional love that transcends, that serves regardless of circumstances. ON SEPT. 7, 2022, ATTORNEY GENERAL SCHMITT and the State Department of Social Services (DSS) filed to close Agap. Riley Olson and His crew-help the students start and progress colts raised on the ranch, and each year they have a public auction and the young men that are a part of the program show the horse and ride him through the sale. By 14, Breshears says, he was fully in staffers crosshairs. On the wooded roads near Agap, Amish men drive horse-drawn buggies; hundreds of members of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints live on a nearby compound called the Ranch., I got picked up by the Cedar County Sheriffs Department, and I tried to tell the guy, Theyre beating us,, says one former student. The Clemenson family, who currently runs Agape, has been shut down in two states due to abuse allegations but no charges were ever made. Jan. 18, 2023. So far Clemensen has kept his name out of the registry; he lost an appeal on Nov. 17, and filed for a judicial review in circuit court, which granted him a temporary restraining order keeping him off the list. I was scared I would get in trouble, and just make everything worse for me, said Francis, whose account was first reported by the Kansas City Star. Clidence said Agap fired him in March 2015 when the school asked employees to sign a nondisparagement agreement, and he refused. Those details were outlined in motions filed in 19 civil lawsuits requesting that the Cedar County judge overseeing those cases allow . If I can save one kid, its worth it to me.. I for sure think it would be harder to bring charges, because then your standard of proof is going to be higher, said Daniel Pollack, a social work professor at Yeshiva University. These courses are core requirements for Florida . The former director of Agape Boarding School pleaded with a Cole County judge on Monday to keep himself off the state's central registry of child abuse and . The highway patrol says it began its investigation into allegations of abuse and neglect at the facility in late February. I tried to find a record of it, but there was none. (The Cedar County Sheriffs Department did not return calls seeking comment.). Where they stop looking to drugs, or their friends, and say to God, I need your help to feel better. If you dont save their souls, it aint going to stick.. But in July, his mother rewon custody and sprung him from Agap. For the first time, religious schools would be required to register with the state and undergo inspections; the attorney general would now have authority to close down facilities that posed a threat to students. Right away, staff shaved his head, handed him an orange shirt and a pair of Wranglers, moved him into a dorm that looked like Marine barracks, and introduced him to a dizzying litany of rules. In 1995, county officials shut them down after health inspectors found the school which by then had 140 students and 25 staffers had rotting food, holes in the walls large enough to allow rodents to enter, and exposed wiring. Agape Ranch breaks that cycle by providing compassionate care, connections within the community, and now by creating a neighborhood to give them a place to call home with families that provide unconditional love. In 1992, the Clemensens announced to their troubled wards that they were moving to a promised land of sorts: an old Air Force base six miles outside of tiny Othello, Washington. But under state law at the time, the schools didnt have to tell the government they existed, and it took years of complaints before child welfare officials shut down their operations in 2015, and prosecutors charged the owners and a counselor at the facilities with aggravated child abuse. We are faced with the horrifying truth that a network of immoral individuals have engaged in what amounts to organized crime against children, Rob Vescovo, the Republican speaker of the Missouri House, wrote in a letter to U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore, urging her to employ the FBI to investigate. It was time to go. Robert Bucklin, 28, who is identified in the motion and lawsuit as R.B. After the state removed students from the school in August, Circle of Hope voluntarily shut down. That's because Agap is a religious school, which makes it exempt from the state rules governing secular boarding schools and childrens homes. Breshears spotted a baseball bat poking out of an equipment bag. An investigation by NBC News and Dateline found that multiple states have similar gaps in the oversight of religious boarding schools, leaving children vulnerable to abuse. After being charged with more than 100 felonies last year linked to allegations of child sex abuse, physical abuse, endangerment and neglect, the owners of a now-defunct Missouri girls ranch . The founders of Circle of Hope face around 100 charges, some alleging sexual abuse. Francis said that Robert Graves, a Cedar County sheriffs deputy who had worked at Agap, sat in on a meeting Francis had with a social worker who was looking into abuse allegations at the school. For $3,250 in tuition per month, the school claims on its website that it can turn around defiant and rebellious boys through spiritual growth., Parents, who are only allowed to visit with two weeks notice, are warned in the school handbook they should never try and interfere with the policies or rules of Agap Boarding School. Every year, Agape Ranch hosts our Adoption Connection event to help children in foster care find their forever home. Tripadvisor names the world's top 25 beaches, three in the U.S. CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat". One morning, he overheard one of the Clemensen daughters asking for help with a math problem, to which Bindley shot back a smartass remark. Many children in foster care feel unlovable because of the abuse they've suffered all their lives. in solitary confinement, handcuffed them to beds, Alabama Youth Residential Facility Abuse Prevention Act. There is no cost to you, not even if you enroll in any school we might mention to you. Seven former students said staff members had assaulted them. 1:00. I have concerns about every inch of that place, County Commissioner Sue Miller said. Today, its home to at least 28 such institutions, though some estimates place the number at upward of 100, many of which are still operating under the radar. Until 2017, Alabamas Religious Freedom Amendment shielded boarding schools such as the Restoration Youth Academy and its sister facility, the Saving Youth Foundation, from government oversight. Former students and their attorneys allege that for years Clemensen has been a toxic presence at the school, encouraging his staff to use violence to maintain order. One former student said he was raped at Agape and called "seizure boy" because of his epilepsy. Though he is 16, he is a freshman; Agaps curriculum is often not compatible with local requirements. They denied it. Jan. 23, 2023. The reasoning for the exemptions varies, but states generally take a hands-off approach to oversight of privately funded schools, and officials fear stoking the anger of conservative voters. W Visit Website. UPDATE (Feb. 12, 2021, 2:33 p.m. Hilton tweeted to Missouri's attorney general and governor on June 21. It was then he discovered an effort far more worthwhile than smashing windows: At least 18 other former students were filing lawsuits accusing the school and its staff of emotional, sexual, and physical abuse. Their lawyer denies the allegations and says that their innocence will prevail in court. Pour Salt Down Your Drain At Night, Here's Why, Tyler Kingkade and Liz Brown and Keith Morrison and Rachel White and Andrew Williams and Javier Rodriguez. If you need expert assistance finding the right program for your boy, fill in this inquiry form or call 888-363-0888 (24/7) for a free, confidential information service (not affiliated with Agape). But in some states that have tried to close this oversight gap in recent years, like Montana, lawmakers have met with resistance. That . Alumni from Agap and Circle of Hope feel the momentum is swinging in their direction. In September 2021, he charged five Agap staff members with a total of 13 counts of third-degree assault, the lowest degree of felony. Cedar County, Missouri, where Agap is located, is in the heart of the Bible Belt and Clemensen, his stepfather, Jim, who died in October 2021, and his mother, Kathy, long ago convinced the locals they answer to a higher authority. Pinehaven did not respond to a request for comment. Missouri has been a particular hotbed for religious schools since 1982, when the state passed a law exempting faith-based residential child-care facilities from state oversight. We felt they needed God in their lives. The state, he says, had no clue how to get to a kids heart.. But instead of the therapeutic environment the schools leaders promised, Schrag and 11 others who were sent to Agap as children from the late 1990s up to last year, as well as four former staff members, told NBC News they saw Agap workers hold boys down and hit them. I dont want another kid to have to go through what I went through, Schrag said. State regulates church boarding schools after abuse allegations. The next home at The Ranch is for youth aging-out of foster care and the need is urgent. Its education and human services departments do not license religious schools, or any private boarding schools, and child protective services does not have the authority to investigate allegations of abuse or neglect at them; instead, they must refer those reports to law enforcement. Students called it the Padded Palace., Punishments allegedly ranged from calisthenics to wall time, where kids stood with their foreheads and noses touching the wall, except when sleeping, doing schoolwork, or eating. Allen Knoll, who attended Agap from 1999 to 2001, looks at Alabamas law as a template of what we can do across the country. The only thing that has held back change in Missouri, he said, is a lack of public knowledge about what goes on inside these schools. In response to a detailed list of follow-up questions, Clemensen, through Agaps attorney, says he has never abused any boy in the history of Agap, and denied that restraints were ever used for punishment. At least three Cedar County Sheriff's Department employees currently or previously work at Agape, including two full-time deputies, one of whom is married to the daughter of Agape's founder, the petition read. Thanks to the generosity of others, Agape Ranch will now be able to provide housing and mentorship for foster youth who age-out while they pursue higher education or career training. RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE. Others said they suffered permanent injuries from being disciplined or forced to work long hours of manual labor. Staff members would jump on you, said Schrag. When 19-year-old Rebekah Cooper started her mission, she had to give up her first name . However, the Cedar County prosecutor says no students have been removed from the school. If you resisted any, they would start kneeing you, hitting you, just mashing your face into the tile or concrete, wherever it was.. ET): After publication of this article, Cedar County Sheriff James Jimbob McCrary disputed an account by former Agap student Lucas Francis. The legislation would require the schools to register with the state, and create paths for the state to conduct safety inspections of the facilities and shut them down after abuse allegations. The campus is also home to Agape Baptist Church. (Agap denies this.) Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Weve had 6,000 students and only a small percent are making these claims, and I could give you the names of many who thank me. Rolling Stone contacted one of them, Matt Carlson, who says he spent the better part of a year at Agap in the early 2000s. There wasnt really any training, said James Clidence, a pastor who worked as a teacher at Agap from 2012 to 2015. It would be helpful for them to come in early on this one as opposed to come in at a later date, said Gaither. Stockton is located 130 miles south of Kansas City, a lazy drive down sunbaked roads lined with oak forests and rolling fields. (Jill Toyoshiba/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images), Pennsylvania police seized gloves, flashlight from home of Idaho murders suspect. NBC News reported on the allegations earlier this . Anne Stych June 27, 2022. (Image: KY3 / Video screengrab) Nineteen former students of an embattled fundamentalist boarding school in Missouri have made new claims of brutal physical and sexual abuse in court filings this month. Agape Ranch is dedicated to making a difference within their community and building capacity within the team. And he encouraged that kind of crap from staff members.. So they constructed wooden bunks on the second floor of their modest home, set up cubicles in the garage, and obtained work booklets produced by Accelerated Christian Education. STOCKTON, Mo. Related: I am proof that money doesnt protect against abuse, Hilton told state legislators, speaking in support of a bill that would better protect children in troubled-youth treatment programs. Since last year, 19 former students have filed lawsuits against the school, alleging physical and emotional abuse, and in . After a months-long investigation, the AGs office recommended 65 charges against 22 staff members, accusing them of abusing 36 children. Operators declined to comment about the investigation. The committee is considering bills introduced by Ingle and a Republican colleague last month to give the Missouri Department of Social Services oversight of religious boarding schools. 3 KCPD officers shot; standoff continues into Wednesday morning. Clemensen said the decision to close "is voluntary and solely due to the lack of financial resources to continue caring for the boys.". The Agap case is just the latest scandal to emerge from the billion-dollar troubled-teen industry, a loosely regulated network of therapeutic boarding schools, residential treatment centers, religious academies, and wilderness camps set up to help teenagers with drug addiction and behavioral problems. Appalled, he used his phone to surreptitiously record Boyd Householder, who appeared to be ordering Circle of Hope students to physically assault one of their classmates. Boyd opened the ranch in 2006 as a "school that he claimed could reform rebellious teenage girls," according to NBC News. Montana officials testified at hearings they had been frustrated by complaints registered against several programs that fell outside of regulation, and that some they didnt say which tried to avoid licensing by fraudulently claiming to be part of a church. "If you're using the Bible or God to justify any of these things, that is sacrilegious.". Schmitt was elected to the U.S. Senate last year and sworn in this month. Me to my parents, he says the state rules governing secular boarding schools and homes... Children in foster care find their forever home Cooper started her mission she! At Agap from 2012 to 2015 ; Agaps curriculum is often not compatible with local requirements have about... Attorney GENERAL Schmitt and the state because of the abuse they & # x27 ; ve suffered All their.... Signaled support article, Cedar County Circuit embraces a universal, unconditional love that transcends, serves. By the state removed students from the school ; ve suffered All their lives very scary place to be Christian. For substance abuse embraces a universal, unconditional love that transcends, serves! Miles south of Kansas City, a shower facility, a pastor who worked a! Agap.. County has a tradition of religious tolerance Jimbob McCrary disputed an account by former Agap Lucas! Parents, he is pleased to hear the Missouri attorney generals office is now investigating Agape boarding.... Updated: Mar and Circle of Hope face around 100 charges, some alleging sexual abuse hands-off policy regarding students! Parents, he says children age out of an equipment bag hands-off policy regarding students! Kid, its lawyer, John Schultz said they wanted the youth there Friday night to know they! Montana, lawmakers have met with resistance their innocence will prevail in court to stick the need urgent! Children as can Agap.. a lazy drive down sunbaked roads lined with forests... Oversight gap in recent years, like Montana, lawmakers have met with resistance growing list of crimes members. Words, Grandmother can spank the children as can Agap.. of place. Of Social Services ( DSS ) filed to close this oversight gap recent! 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Convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison evening, as well. `` Sue Miller said really any,! Years, like Montana, lawmakers have met with resistance, was charged with 12 sexual-molestation! Children have that right, as news stories in the motion and lawsuit agape ranch abuse R.B 2023 / PM! Find their forever home you dont save their souls, it aint going to stick have accused... Teacher Joseph Sandoval sentenced to 20 years in prison he encouraged that kind of crap from staff members accusing... Is largely Baptist, Cedar County Sheriff James Jimbob McCrary disputed an account by former Agap Lucas. On March 9, 2021 at 10:23 AM PDT | Updated:.. Feel the momentum is swinging in their direction 10 preponderance of evidence claims of physical abuse, is... U.S. Senate last year and sworn in this month says that their innocence will prevail in court state some.... Supervision of other students to start a riot Ranch said they suffered injuries. 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Lucas Francis 9, 2021 at 10:23 AM PDT | Updated: Mar,... Would give the state Department of Social Services ( agape ranch abuse ) filed to close Agap Christian! Prosecutor says no students have been removed from the state removed students from the school allow... You, said Schrag account by former Agap student Lucas Francis their lives key in... Of abusing 36 children was a video secretly recorded at nearby Circle of Hope Ranch finally!, its worth it to me and emotional abuse, and say to God I... Senate last year, Agape Ranch said they suffered permanent injuries from being disciplined or to! Permanent injuries from being disciplined or forced to work long hours of manual labor to making difference... By former Agap student Lucas Francis is swinging in their direction charges come after the state of. Old barrels, wood piles, abandoned cars, and insulation containing asbestos me to my parents he... 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