There were horses, a swimming pool, and a football team. Allegations of physical and sexual abuse at Agape and Circle of Hope Girls' Ranch prompted a state law in 2021 requiring stricter oversight of such facilities. Circle of Hope closed in 2020, and its owners, Boyd and Stephanie Householder, face 101 felony charges, including statutory rape, abuse and neglect of a child. Agape Boarding School is located on a 200-acre ranch in Stockton, Missouri. "Pinehaven has had challenges over the years, but so has everyone," Montana Family Foundation President Jeff Laszloffy said at a 2019 hearing. Its just a very scary place to be, Bradney said. For secular youth facilities regulated by Missouris social services department, as well as those that have contracts with the state, social welfare agents conduct inspections at least twice a year to review staff training, check compliance with fire and health codes, and make sure employees have background checks and that children get proper medical attention. The three were convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. People had reported Circle of Hope at least 19 times since it opened to three sheriffs departments, state child welfare and education officials, the highway patrol, and the state attorney generals office, according to interviews and records obtained by NBC News. Agape Boarding school has had its share of abuse allegations over the years. LAST MARCH, BRESHEARS SAYS, he was on kitchen duty when a staffer said some chocolate milk was missing from the fridge, and accused Breshears and several other students of stealing it. And its not just Missouri. Jan. 18, 2023. Plaintiff was allegedly physically, sexually, and emotionally abused while under the care and supervision of . The school is a nonprofit owned by the Agap Baptist Church, which was also started by the Clemensens. Indeed, the version of the school students describe, community members say, is starkly different from the Agap the town has come to know. 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. One former student said he was raped at Agape and called "seizure boy" because of his epilepsy. And he said, No, theyre not., In 1996, the Clemensens purchased 40 acres just outside of town. Francis lied, he said, because Robert Graves a Cedar County sheriffs deputy who is on the board of Agaps church and has worked at the school was present for the interview. Published: Mar. 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. ET): After publication of this article, Cedar County Sheriff James Jimbob McCrary disputed an account by former Agap student Lucas Francis. They denied it. That is blasphemous.. But the bills essentially became a referendum on one unregulated facility, the Pinehaven Christian Children's Ranch in St. Ignatius, Montana, whose founder showed up to hearings with supporters to argue against the change. 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. Each worker is facing abuse charges. She thought heavy metal was like witchcraft, he says. Shrag is holding an Agape year book. 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 . Former students wonder if its because of this that authorities failed to act sooner. None of these inspections are required at religious boarding schools. If there is a question about a policy or rule, do not ask your son.. Gaither says at this point, they dont know if there will be any charges. 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. Agape Connection. Nonetheless, the outcome of the civil suits is far from certain. Bindley remembers learning quickly that retribution for breaking the rules was swift and sometimes painful. Pinehaven did not respond to a request for comment. The report found those leaders had chronically mistreated survivors of abuse and spent decades trying to deny responsibility for abuse at individual . Families looking to adopt are invited to meet, play, and talk to these children, and we need help putting it on. The site was littered with old barrels, wood piles, abandoned cars, and insulation containing asbestos. Five more alleged victims have filed civil lawsuits against Agape Boarding School of Stockton, Missouri, and the Baptist church that supervises the Christian boarding school, bringing the total number of cases alleging negligence and abuse to 19. One morning, he overheard one of the Clemensen daughters asking for help with a math problem, to which Bindley shot back a smartass remark. After the state removed students from the school in August, Circle of Hope voluntarily shut down. He says he and others suffered frequent physical abuse, at the hands of at least a dozen staff members, and others didnt stop it. The school still faces a wave of lawsuits accusing administrators of abuse. Agape Boarding School Abuse Lawsuit - Pennsylvania Schools Details: WebFormer students of Agape from Alabama, Texas, and Michigan have filed two civil lawsuits against the Boarding School for multiple charges that include physical, agape ranch abuse Verified 5 days ago Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. but has gone public in the past year with his . The Agape Boarding School was in Othello from 1992-96. 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. 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. 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. Netflixs Outer Banks Buries Itself in Ridiculous Season 3 Cant make those decisions until weve had an opportunity to review the investigative reports, and those are being put together, said Gaither. Operators declined to comment about the investigation. TOUGH-LOVE SCHOOLS CAN BE traced back to the 1950s, when a secular group called Synanon pioneered an approach to curing heroin addiction with isolation, humiliation, and sleep deprivation. They also look at records from any incidents in which a child is injured or restrained. Christian Reform School Accused of Abuse Shuts Down After Rolling Stone Expos. Interested in learning more about the 2023 Legacy Gala? (361) 742-6330. Though he is 16, he is a freshman; Agaps curriculum is often not compatible with local requirements. Agape Ranch is dedicated to making a difference within their community and building capacity within the team. 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! It also taught creationism and that women should be subservient to their husbands, while weaving biblical references into the materials. Locals says the Clemensens ingratiated themselves by offering tours, and hosting Boy Scout breakfasts and luncheons for the local Methodist group. Our rehabilitation center in Fort Lauderdale for substance abuse embraces a universal, unconditional love that transcends, that serves regardless of circumstances. January 11, 2023 / 6:04 PM KANSAS CITY (AP) Maggie Drew's dad sent her to Circle . The state of Missouri has opened a criminal investigation into allegations of abuse and neglect at Agap Boarding School, a Christian institution in the rural southwestern part of the state, a spokesman for the state's Highway Patrol confirmed Friday. In 1991, Todd Bindley, then 13, moved in. Then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office contended that 22 workers should have been charged, and with more serious crimes. 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! ON SEPT. 7, 2022, ATTORNEY GENERAL SCHMITT and the State Department of Social Services (DSS) filed to close Agap. One student, identified only by his initials, describes being forced to run outside while a staffer tailed him in a four-wheeler with a stick attached to the front, threatening to ram anyone who wasnt moving fast enough. 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. The most surprising thing is that nothing has been done so far to change anything, Ingle said. (As of publication, one defendants case was dismissed, three pleaded guilty to misdemeanors, and one is awaiting a hearing this month.) . Jennifer says she knows it will take a while to reconnect, and she worries about the psychic scars left by the school shes already noticed that her son hates horses now. He is pleased to hear the Missouri attorney generals office is now investigating Agape Boarding School. The plaintiffs in the newest cases, filed June 15 in Vernon County . 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. Robert Larsson, 89, a preacher and the founder of Pinehaven, gave folksy presentations about how his school improved the lives of children, who spent their days at the ranch wrangling calves, shoveling manure and learning Bible verses. Cedar County Prosecutor Ty Gaither asked the governors office for help in his investigation of the Agape Ranch and Boarding School west of Stockton. More than 90% of young adults aging out of the foster system will become homeless, incarcerated, in prostitution, sex trafficked, or dead within three years. Since it claims to be a Christian organization, is not regulated by the state because of a religious exemption. First published on January 11, 2023 / 6:04 PM. That's because Agap is a religious school, which makes it exempt from the state rules governing secular boarding schools and childrens homes. One killed in officer-involved shooting in Branson, Mo. Every year, Agape Ranch hosts our Adoption Connection event to help children in foster care find their forever home. One student said staffers had branded him with a cross. 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. These courses are core requirements for Florida . This results in many children being separated from their siblings and the only community that they know. Amanda Householder is suing her parents, Boyd and Stephanie Householder, owners of Circle of Hope Girls Ranch and Boarding School. I realized I cant be the only former student to have these problems, he says. If you resisted any, they would start kneeing you, hitting you, just mashing your face into the tile or concrete, wherever it was.. By the time he ended up in the Padded Palace, he recalls, I was bleeding all over my head and hands. So he scrawled the words Fuck Agap on the wall using his own blood. ), Such alleged retribution was not necessarily confined to Brown Town. The next evening, a man found Jacob begging for change at a neighboring county supermarket 10 miles from Blue Creek and called Clay County Child Protective Services. Lawmakers held hearings and introduced a bill that would give the state some oversight. The state social services department determined in a preliminary finding in 2018 that Householder physically abused a minor, according to court documents but that was not publicized and the school continued to enroll students for more than two years before it voluntarily closed. The Kansas City Star ran a series of exposs detailing shocking allegations first about Circle of Hope, then Agap. A decent life.. We need people who will financially contribute and volunteer at the event to help give these . Agape Boarding School was moving away from the "nonbelievers" in Washington and California and heading east. Boarding schools fleeing abuse claims in other states find 'Promised Land' in Missouri . It is a matter of time before youth aging out of the foster care system fall prey to the statistics. (888) 614-0077. . Hunt was one of a number of SBC leaders named in a 2022 report from the investigative firm Guidepost Solutions hired by the denomination in 2021 to resolve long-running conflicts over sexual abuse. All Rights reserved. To keep order, Agap instituted a military-like hierarchy, indicated by colored shirts that denoted ranks. But Breshears got a rude welcome. (Clemensen says this was a nickname the boys had for an elbow injury, and denies the abuse.) But then, Breshears made friends and began to reconsider his allegiances particularly, he says, after he witnessed classmates getting restrained. Those details were outlined in motions filed in 19 civil lawsuits requesting that the Cedar County judge overseeing those cases allow . Agape's doctor is charged with child sex crimes and five employees are accused of assault, though Missouri's attorney general thinks many more workers should have been charged.. If I can save one kid, its worth it to me.. (Knock her out! he can be heard saying.) 24, 2021 at 10:23 AM PDT | Updated: Mar. Facebook Page. 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 boarding school typically has about 150 boys enrolled, ages 12 to 17, and they share the ranch with farm and exotic animals, including cows, horses, llamas, water buffalo, camels and zebras, according to the schools website. Schrag says he tried to escape around 2007, when he was 15. He likes to get in peoples heads.. Operators advertise it as a national boarding school for at-risk or unmotivated boys. I got picked up by the Cedar County Sheriffs Department, and I tried to tell the guy, like, Theyre beating us, dont take me back there, he says. Editors Note: This story, which appears in the January 2023 issue of Rolling Stone, has been updated to include additional details on court cases that had not been decided until after the print deadline. Seven boys tested positive for tuberculosis. Its about getting these kids to a place in their life where they have to look to God for help, he says. Tripadvisor names the world's top 25 beaches, three in the U.S. CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat". The term encompasses various facilities and programs, including youth residential treatment centers, wilderness programs, boot camps, and therapeutic boarding schools.. They have law-enforcement ties, too. Trump Melts Down Over Murdoch Admitting Fox Lied About Election Fraud. He smacked me in the face with his elbow for saying the f-word. To him, it seemed arbitrary and needlessly brutal. The Kansas City Star reported that the Householders deny all allegations . 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. , that serves regardless of circumstances state because of this article, Cedar County Sheriff James Jimbob McCrary an. 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