None of these raised eyebrows until former Agap staffers Boyd and Stephanie Householder opened Circle of Hope Girls Ranch. He has been a trainer for 10 years specializing in substance abuse. in solitary confinement, handcuffed them to beds, Alabama Youth Residential Facility Abuse Prevention Act. 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. 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. In May 2021, the law requiring religious schools to register with the state passed. Trending Facebook Page. But in July, his mother rewon custody and sprung him from Agap. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Netflixs Outer Banks Buries Itself in Ridiculous Season 3 And I did get saved.. I was sheltered, Breshears says. They were very detailed and professional. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students, 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Garland to face Congress amid ongoing special counsel investigations, FBI chief says agency feels pandemic likely started with Chinese lab leak, House select committee hearing paints China as a strategic antagonist, JetBlue flight forced to abort landing in close call at Logan Airport, Three officers shot, standoff follows in Kansas City, Mo., police say, Vanessa Bryant, family settles claims over Kobe crash site photos for $28.5M, Agape Boarding School, Stockton, Cedar County, Missouri. In August, Sandoval was charged with arranging the kidnapping of an emancipated teen in Fresno, California, on behalf of the boys estranged mother, and then having him driven, handcuffed, 27 hours to Agap. "I would argue Pinehaven is doing a very good job with very difficult kids.". It now has 12. They held a blood drive, organized a Fourth of July fireworks spectacular, and began holding an annual rodeo. STOCKTON, Mo. They insisted everyone call them Brother Jim and Maam, and their son Brother Bryan.. 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. 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. 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. 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. Within a few months, he says, three students ran away. That's because Agap is a religious school, which makes it exempt from the state rules governing secular boarding schools and childrens homes. For example, Arkansas allows boarding schools and child welfare agencies operated solely by a religious organization to be exempt from licensing. (They do so much good for this town and you cannot believe the difference they have made in these young men, says Jackie Cargell, who has lived in the town for 57 years.) Wednesday afternoon, a House committee questions Missouri Department of Social Services leaders about their investigations into boarding schools. Those details were outlined in motions filed in 19 civil lawsuits requesting that the Cedar County judge overseeing those cases allow . First published on January 11, 2023 / 6:04 PM. 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. 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. . Gaither says at this point, they dont know if there will be any charges. 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. One former student said he was raped at Agape and called "seizure boy" because of his epilepsy. The Clemensens sent 100 boys home, and moved the rest to base housing. For example, when many foster children age out of the system, they have lived in an average of 12 foster homes. Agape's trouble began in 2020 when former students came forward with abuse allegations. 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. (Agap denies these allegations. Andrew Breshears in his Agap uniform. Though Ms. Allred's office has spent months soliciting a cash settlement, we were unaware that a suit would be filed. If there is a question about a policy or rule, do not ask your son.. Mrs. Vicki Loeffler & Mrs. Rodney Johnson, DDS, Faithful Witness Photography, Photographer. 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. It would be helpful for them to come in early on this one as opposed to come in at a later date, said Gaither. We want to hear it. Agape Ranch is dedicated to making a difference within their community and building capacity within the team. Carlson said he never witnessed abuse and credited the school with temporarily keeping him off meth and teaching him how to lay tile. Agape Ranch will establish a safe environment of 24 homes where foster children can receive the support they need in order to mature in all aspects of their lives. The last time would be his graduation. ET): After publication of this article, Cedar County Sheriff James Jimbob McCrary disputed an account by former Agap student Lucas Francis. 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.. DSS added . The couple met when Jim pulled Kathy over for drag racing a beat-up Ford Pinto around the East Bay. The 57-year-old is currently facing charges of second-degree statutory sodomy . Award honors influential children's minister. 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. In recent months, Clemensen has become the face of the controversy a fearless leader doing Gods work to those fighting to save his school, a sadistic villain to those who aim to close it. The argument grew heated, he says, and the staffer told the kids they were going to Brown Town. (Clemensen denies this happened, but says he considers Bindley one of Agaps top success stories.). He liked Metallica and Garbage Pail Kids cards, and had a tendency to cause trouble. They promoted me I was the youngest person to go red. 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. Lawmakers proposed legislation to provide oversight for faith-based boarding schools in Missouri. Locals says the Clemensens ingratiated themselves by offering tours, and hosting Boy Scout breakfasts and luncheons for the local Methodist group. 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. The team at Agape Ranch said they wanted the youth there Friday night to know that they are valued. Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader/Imagn. Jan. 18, 2023. Colton Schrag, who spent years at Agape Boarding School in southwest Missouri, where dozens of former students have described experiencing abuse, testifies during a committee hearing on Feb. 10, 2021. 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. The Clemenson family, who currently runs Agape, has been shut down in two states due to abuse allegations but no charges were ever made. Clemensen said the decision to close "is voluntary and solely due to the lack of financial resources to continue caring for the boys.". "The healing process can start for so many.". They were marched downstairs, where things escalated, until, Breshears alleges, he was lying facedown with a staffer sitting on his legs and two others digging their kneecaps into his pressure points. Agape Boarding School is located on a 200-acre ranch in Stockton, Missouri. Updated: Dec 13, 2022 / 12:48 PM CST. Please enter valid email address to continue. He is pleased to hear the Missouri attorney generals office is now investigating Agape Boarding School. They denied it. 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. 1:00. Several lawsuits filed on behalf of former students also have named Agape and Circle of Hope. By 5+ Local Business Owners! More than a decade later, legislators are finally making headway. The Missouri AG launched a joint investigation with Cedar County authorities. So they were all, in my book, guilty of association, said Schrag. In 1996, Agap moved to a 200-acre ranch in Cedar County, Missouri. (Both have pleaded not guilty.) W We want to make it about the children's rights rather than taking away religious rights. We are gathered here, former students,. The video follows numerous allegations of abuse against Agape, a Christian reform school for boys, which until a new law in 2021, had virtually no state oversight due to its faith-based status. Visit Website. When 19-year-old Rebekah Cooper started her mission, she had to give up her first name . It also taught creationism and that women should be subservient to their husbands, while weaving biblical references into the materials. All Rights Reserved. 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. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Its good to be back with family, he says. Published: Mar. In civil suits, Agap students describe being choked with rebar and electrical cords, pushed through drywall, having their noses broken, and hit in the testicles hard enough to cause traumatic groin injury. They say several boys attempted to hang themselves, in what they call a pandemic among students. Agap, through its attorney, denies the allegations, and says that no student there has ever killed himself. (KY3) - Missouris attorney general is investigating a second Cedar County boarding school. On March 9, 2021, AG Schmitt announced 102 charges against the Householders, including rape and physical abuse. He likes to get in peoples heads.. Jan 5, 2023 9:58 am. To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com, State of Missouri investigating Agape Ranch and Boarding School near Stockton, Deputy seriously hurt in crash with driver opening beer, Greene County prosecutor files charges against man accused of crashing truck into a house. The site was littered with old barrels, wood piles, abandoned cars, and insulation containing asbestos. Agape Ranch plans out programs, fund raisers, and community outreach monthly. Yet Agaps neighbors insist they never had any idea. After the state removed students from the school in August, Circle of Hope voluntarily . None of these inspections are required at religious boarding schools. The result, experts said, is that in much of the country, no one from the government checks to ensure that these facilities, often in remote regions, meet basic standards before children are enrolled. But hes not complaining. Staff called it the intake or restraint room. I pre paid him in February to cut yard 2x for months. Posted Apr 03, 2022 11:00 AM. More than 90% of young adults aging-out of the foster care system will become homeless, incarcerated, in prostitution, sex trafficked, or dead within three years. I watched him choke, slam kids into the floor, and just basically beat the shit out of them. The Republican-sponsored measure requires religious boarding schools to register with the state, pass a health department inspection and ensure that staff meet minimum standards. The Agape Boarding School was in Othello from 1992-96. Another describes a staffer holding a pocket knife to his throat. Whatever the case, Clemensen has many allies where it perhaps counts the most: in the community. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time ", "Today, the many victims who have come forth can rest assured that no more children will be hurt at Agape Boarding School," Bucklin said in a text. One deposed student describes attempting to jump off a staircase at Agap in a gesture of suicidal desperation which prompted a staffer to grab him, throw him six feet across the floor, sit on his back, and bash his head into the floor multiple times, leaving him in a pile of snot and blood, while screaming, Is this what you want? (Agap confirms restraining the student, but says it was not a form of abuse but an attempt to prevent harm to the boy.) Another former student said under oath that he was yanked out of bed and slammed to the floor for waking up late, kicked and punched in the balls by former dean of students Julio Sandoval, and kicked in the ribs and face in front of the rest of the school by Bryan Clemensen. For so long, nobody cared.. But in Missouri, only the local prosecutor can file charges, and Cedar County Prosecuting Attorney Ty Gaither has said no additional employees would be charged. Thank you for your generous support [] In 23 states, including Missouri, religious boarding schools do not even have to tell their state education department that they exist. Related: More than a dozen people reported abuse at a religious boarding school in rural Missouri before the owners' daughter launched a campaign that got action. The cases against five people who worked at Agape Boarding school are moving forward. Askins reached out to Child Protective Services and then shared the video with the Householders estranged daughter, Amanda. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. The picture flashed on the big screen, and Brenda Gordon immediately . His grandparents sent him to a mental hospital, then to Agap. (Photo by Tim Bommel/House Communications) In Missouri, at least, this could be changing. As soon as Keri Ingle, a Democratic state representative from the Kansas City, Missouri, area and former child welfare investigator, read about the abuse allegations at Circle of Hope Girls Ranch last year, she called for hearings. Each worker is facing abuse charges. When more severe penalties were required, according to students, civil suits, and a search warrant filed later by state investigators, Agap staffers would hold the boys facedown on the floor while pressing their elbows, knees, and fingers into students pressure points, a pain compliance method known as a restraint. 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