The explanation that I was given was that Kanakuks ministry to the counselors is just as important as their ministry to the campers, Horn said. He was only a summer staff. She didnt think much of it at first. In a message dictated immediately after the one to Newman, White told Kanakuks executive director, Kris Cooper, to follow up with Newman. Dygert referred Hoffpauir then living overseas to Staples, who talked to Hoffpauir using the Skype app. In a 2012 deposition for a Texas lawsuit, Kanakuk CEO Joe White said nudity had long been a part of the Kanakuk experience while showering or bathing.. He and his wife Lois live in Colorado. Others quickly became accustomed to it, providing fertile ground for a predator like Newman who used nudity and discussions about sexuality to groom his victims. It's two grand-plus to go to camp for two weeks. In the 1990s, male counselors reportedly held Gold Bond Parties, during which they gathered nude campers into communal showers and applied medicated talc to campers genitals. "Bonding" was just one of the justifications Dygert and Hoffpauir say that Newman offered for his abuse. He was imprisoned At maximum, it could destroy your ministry.. When heentered the room, kids chanted his name, Fusch said. Hoffpauir grew up in Branson. More:Kanakuk issues new statement on camp child sex abuse; survivor calls it 'disgusting'. And since he's a guy, I mean, that's what he would say, like, 'We're just guys, we're not gay. At K-Kountry, counselors and campers all showered together in a facility with no separate stalls or partitions, said former director Will Cunningham. One of the victims was a boy he had chaperoned from Florida to the Branson camp. In an interview published in the News-Leader in April, Keith Dygert said the first time Newman abused him, during a one-on-one sleepover in a Kanakuk gym, the former counselor suggested they dunk basketballs naked., This would be one of the best bonding things we could do.' More than 20,000 WebWarning: strpos(): Empty needle in /var/home/ikvetlvq/meinardadraudze.lv/retro-bowl/index.php on line 1 Former Kanakuk camp counselor Peter Newman is already serving two life sentences, plus 30 years, at the Jefferson City Correctional Center. They left all the time , Goodwin said. They were rich. Newmans initial arrest and sentencing received little media attention. Logan Yandell, now 27, filed a lawsuit last week against Kanakuk Kamps alleging he was sexually abused from around 2005 to 2008 by former camp director Peter Newman. Newmans supervisor recommended he be fired in 2003, after receiving reports that Newman swam and played basketball with children while he In 2000, when Morgan was awaiting trial and White knew thathe had confessed to hiw wife that he had sodomizedan adolescent female relative, White gave him off-season housing at Kanakuk. Hoffpauir said Kanakukis "so prominent in Branson. A 2005 edition of the playbook reviewed for this story, for example, specifically forbade nude swimming and nude games, stipulating that bodies should be clothed at all times., It banned [a]ny degree of sexual contact between staff and kamper [i]ncluding verbal harassment or anything with sexual connotations and said [a]ny infraction of the above policy involving even the slightest form of sexual connotation will result in immediate dismissal for the staff with no chances for rehire., The playbook also said We will never, ever, ever in any way display sexual body parts intentionally or touch anothers body parts. The attention he got from Newman felt like "you've got this really special thing," Dygert told the News-Leader. They were spurred by a growing public awareness of controversy linked to Kanakuk that began in early 2021. A prosecutor told the News-Leader at the time that Newman admitted to sexual activity with as many as 13 other minors. That's the No. Thats when Caroline, who asked not to be identified by her full name, said she learned first-hand how the camp responded to reported abuse. Kanakuk leaders have described convicted child molester Pete Newman as a lone predator but he wasn't the first or last abuser connected to the camp. ), A probationary agreement Newman signed Oct. 22, 2003 specifically prohibited nudity or sexual behavior, as well as further visits from out-of-state kids and sleepovers during which Newman spent the night alone with one or more children. He noted that on one occasion Newman quoted Scripture to justify the activity. He also went onfather-son retreats with Newman. More:Kanakuk camper says she was told to apologize, denied call home after reporting abuse. Former employee Peter Newman admitted to sexually abusing boys at the camp and was sentenced to two life sentences plus 12 years in prison. Contacted by a reporter last Augustand asked if he was fired from Kanakuk for abusing a child, Price responded: I am busy doing the work of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, and that is all Im focusing on.. Survivors says Newmans idea of bonding often involved invitations to participate in nude activities. We figured out that system on our own., In addition to the communal showers, campers in past decades were required to stand nude, exposing their genitalia to counselors during regular physical inspections.. Joe and his camp, Kanakuk, have been sued by Multiple former campers claiming that he and the It was during that Thanksgiving visit that Fusch said he woke one night and could tell that Green had been reaching into Fuschs underwear from his adjacent trundle bed. Since the 1970s, under the leadership of White and his wife Debbie-Jo, Kanakuk has become one of the largest Christian camps in the world. Years passed before she managed to tell anyone. He was 13. Currently, the camp's websiteprices four-week sessions at $4,800 per child. It was a night when we were going to have a swim and then watch a movie, said Jones, who agreed to be identified by name for this story. They were unfamiliar with Joe White. Supervisors told her they would alert her parents to the incident. One of those boys was among the victims when Ringheim was convicted of sex crimes in 2012. Jones told a friend about the 1985 incident, who confirmed her account when contacted for this story. "His logic was like, it's OK to masturbate," Hoffpauir explained. Since 1926, Kanakuk has hosted more than 500,000 campers and 50,000 staffers in Missouri and its many international locations. Newman did not have an attorney on file for the case Monday. When my counselor heard about this, he warned me to stay away from Pete., Other counselors followed Newmans lead, Clark said, making the parties a staple for a time.. The newspaper left a voicemail for Staples at First Baptist Church, of Branson, where Staples serves as family life pastor. An in-depth investigation released in March 2021 by former ACLJ and Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel and National Review author David French and his wife for the online journal The Dispatch revealed a number of victims of Kanakuk were under non-disclosure agreements which were signed as part of legal settlements. Kanakuk leaders also have described convicted child molester Pete Newman as a lone predator but he wasn't the first or last abuser connected to the camp. For those of you who do not know the history of Pete Newman, please read the entire post. The 1999 incident wasnt the last. They ziplined naked.It was just a guy thing at Kanakuk to be naked all the time.It was just part of the culture. The playbook rules were geared toward counselors, however, not senior leadership. ", "She, it's horrible," he told the News-Leader. She's blaming anyone else she can find. After a few moments of silence, Fusch said, Green replied: It was an isolated situation and itll never happen again.. He also hung out with Newman "just in town." Peter Newman Life Sentence Courtroom Criminal Law Law Crime Kanakuk Kamps Jeff Merrell Missouri Southwest Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Like Hoffpauir, Dygert says he accompanied Newman on speaking engagement trips linked to Kanakuk. They met at a Youth Life event in 1999, a decade before the prayer-request phone call. Jason Wert. Sign up! There are people who are suffering in silence, feeling completely alone, to the point of taking their own lives because they don't know how to cope, how to deal with it. A growing amount of evidence contradicts that narrative. In the past two years, media coverage of abuse at Kanakuk has included reporting byChristian financial watchdogorganization Ministry Watch,CBS News in Dallas,VICE Newsandconservative online magazineThe Dispatch. More:From the editor: How we reported stories about sex abuse at Kanakuk Kamps, As he rose through the ranks at Kanakuk, Newman was promoted as someone who excelled at bonding with children and counseling them on sexual topics. I think that's something you can only understandif you've been groomed and been abused. I remember conversations about virginity on purity nights when they would discuss these topics, said Riggs, the former camper. They gave all the boys rubber bands and told them to snap them every time they were having impure thoughts A girl would walk by and snap! Hoffpauir said his mother, who only learned about his abuse experience in early February, "is doing awful. A camp staffer referred questionsto a general "communications" inbox. No More Victims, whose organizers have not been made public, recently issued an open letter to Kanakuk and its owner, White. According to documents filed in related court cases, Newman was merely admonished on several occasions. The first time former Kanakuk camp director Pete Newman was reported for being nude with kids was in 1999 the same year he became a full-time employee at In 2003, I banned Pete from the Leadership Weekend and advised Kanakuk's executive director to fire Pete, Cunningham said in an emailed comment for this story. Satan had won his mind, White wrote, and the only thing the boy knew how to do was masturbate and mentally rape girls.. "He was very macho, manly, like, tough, in a way. Keith Dygert, another 34-year-old who grew up in Branson and currently lives there, filed a civil lawsuit that was later dismissed when "all parties agreed to a settlement," according to Missouri court records. After Newman's trial, civil lawsuit allegations emerged. This guy has a raging love for God and it spills over constantly to the kids at kamp.. Dygert's wife, Chelsea, "is very passionate and has a lot of righteous indignation about what Kanakuk has allowed to happen, and how they've covered it up and continue to cover up their negligence," he said. In October 2008, less than a year before Newman confessed, Kanakuk CEO White dictated an email congratulating him for a chapel presentation in which Newman bragged about the hot tub Bible studies., In the email, White told Newman he had a tremendous message, it was very appropriate and well received by all. And he spoke two nights, and I was his minor, little-kid helper. Corbie Dale Grimes, who worked at Kanakuk in the 1970s and 80s, is serving a life sentence for abusing a boy in Texas in 1999. Jones said Price left and she continued to watch the movie. snap! The counselors told us to hang our towels over a bar which didnt cover our bodies. This is worth fighting for. ", More:Kanakuk camp 'abuse survivors' call for independent investigation into sexual assault accusations. Then he made his way up my leg and put his fingers in my vagina, she said. Its such a thick environment. He said it wouldnt be lusting because we were with someone else. shaka wear graphic tees is candy digital publicly traded ellen lawson wife of ted lawson pete newman kanakuk wife. Texas father Joe Alarcon said he sent his son Ashton to Kanakuk after he heard White promoting the camp at a 1997 Promise Keepers rally. (Last year, Newman was found liable for more than $5 million in damages in that case, Missouri court records show.) "The investigation by law enforcement that resulted in the prosecution of Pete Newman did not result in any criminal or civil charges against Kanakuk leadership or staff," they added. The site, which says it is run by victims and their family members,issued an open letter in February demanding that Kanakuk agree to an independent investigation of abuse claims and calling onleaders to release victims from non-disclosure agreements. Caroline asked to go home but says she was told that could only happen if she were injured. () Those are red flags in itself, but for some reason, it was just OK to bring your 13-year-old boy (companion) with you on overnight trips. On Feb 4., a separateanonymous plaintiff sued Newman for the same amount of money. Former Kanakuk director Pete Newman went to prison in 2010 for abusing boys. Through offshoots like Youth Life (now dubbed "K-Life"), Kanakuk reaches even more children and teenagers than those who attend camp. It was the story of sexual predation at Kanakuk Kamps, one of the largest Christian camps in the United Statesthe summer camp of the Evangelical eliteand a superpredator named Pete Newman, a camp counselor who became a camp director who systematically abused boys by the dozens for more than a decade. His mother resisted the idea, but "eventually," Dygert said,shechecked with "one of my friends' parents who had known Pete longer. Just really screwed-up stuff., More:Branson men, both 34, describe Kanakuk sex abuse, call for camp to be held accountable. Were not bringing the Lord into this, Chancey interrupted, according to Caroline. Mr. As far as campers and camp employeesgo, "thousands" of high school and college-aged students come to Branson each year, Hoffpauir said, some drawn to Kanakuk's educational arms, Link Academy and Kanakuk Institute. Growing public awareness of controversy linked to Kanakuk camp began early last year. I was in a room with the director, and about three other people. ", In the book, White characterized masturbatingas "a release for a boy when his hormones get 'too hot to handle.' "That ministry" Kanakuk "should have caught on.". Tredennick said Grimes actions did not constitute a reportable offense in a criminal context when Grimes was terminated in 1989. Hoffpauir, now 34, recalledthat during the phone call, Newmantold him, "Things are getting crazy. "These are the most affluent kids in the country," he said. And she realized, oh no, something had happened. (Newman, camp owner White and Kanakuk were named as defendants in that case, first filed in 2015; White and Kanakuk were later dropped from the suit. Long known as a charismatic director and ambassador for the camp, 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 desires, progressing to mutual masturbation and sodomy. He wrote his phone number on my hand and said, 'Hey, let's hang out sometime.' Ever since Pete Newmanpleaded guiltyto sexually abusing six boys,Kanakuk has touted itself as a leader in child safety, holding seminars across the nation. Hoffpauir isn't the only person who identifies as a Kanakuk child sex abuse survivor to say that the camp, and well-paid camp leaders,should have known about Newman's abuse and taken effective steps to stop him. Caroline said her experience at Kanakuk made it harder to trust. So he would sayyou could do things like sing a worship song while you're masturbating, or you could quote Scripture while masturbating, or you could just not think of women. While we are grateful that we were able to assist law enforcement in the prosecution and conviction of Pete Newman over a decade ago, we also know that victims pain often continues long after the perpetrator is imprisoned. The more casual attitudes toward nudity at Kanakuk where communal showering and physical inspections of unclothed campers continued into the 1990s and early 2000s, former staff members said made some campers uncomfortable. Please consider subscribing to support vital local journalism. A request to interview Chancey and another staff member present at the meeting was declined by a lawyer for Kanakuk. ", "The issue of right and wrong with masturbation is the issue of lust," White wrote in his '90s-era book for Christian youth, published in connection with a fundamentalistchurch nonprofit, Focus on the Family. And they need to suffer the repercussions of that, to show and send a message that you cannot take this lightly. The next day, Fusch asked to have a friend spend the night so they could sleep in the living room. Manybut not all come from wealthy Texas evangelical families. The letter-writers called Kanakuk's reporteduse of NDAs one of many "intimidation tactics" thecamp uses to stifle allegations of sexual assault and protect its reputation. The first lawsuit, filed Jan. 31, 2011, in Taney County Circuit Court, charges officials at the Christian sports camp Kanakuk with fraud for allowing Pete Newman to masquerade as a role model at the same time he was molesting scores of underage boys. WebIts been over 20 years since the abuse began for me by Pete Newman of Kanakuk Kamps. I was trying to avoid him, Fusch said. Like, 'This would take our relationship to the next level.' Hoffpauirsaid he was in seventh grade when he first encountered Newman. 25 Feb/23. I sure love being on your team!. He was imprisoned following his 2010 sentencingon seven felony counts of sexually abusing boys, in connection with his role as a Kanakuk counselor. Get 'too hot to handle pete newman kanakuk wife prison in 2010 for abusing boys at the 's... 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