Under questioning from legislators, Essma said his clients concern is mostly focused on the retroactivity of the bill. Michael Essma of the Kansas City law firm Shook, Hardy, and Bacon testified on behalf of the American Tort Reform Association. Former Kanakuk camp director Peter Newman worked at the camp from 1995 to 2009, as the News-Leader reported earlier. Not 31, not 50. We try to watch our staff, and campers, and each other, like hawks. He testified about statutes of limitations being a benefit because memories can fade over time, and of his concerns about reviving claims which had been ended because of the current statute. The Missouri committee will vote on the legislation soon, and survivors are urging others to send emails to committee members in support of the bill. Keith Dygert, who said he was abused by Newman, reached a settlement with a non-disclosure agreement "at a time when only a small portion of the story was actually known," he testified. From what I know of Joe White he would have never allowed anyone to work at Kanakuk, never the less be on leadership, if they had done anything questionable in this area. Relying on an incomplete application without references and no background check, Pete Newman is hired as a Kanakuk Kamps counselor at age 19. 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. Kanakuk leadership then confronts Newman, who initially reveals about 15 names of boys he had abused. The bill defines a vulnerable victim as any person who was disabled, a minor or both at the time they were sexually abused. Newman is serving a lengthy prison sentence for sexually abusing numerous boys during the decade that he held a supervisory position at the camp. i talked to her boss for less than 5 minutes and she was hired an hour later. The groups are seeking reforms in laws regarding the statute of limitations for sexual abuse. The same leadership is still at the helm. Jody Jones testified about her abuse at Kanakuk, and how the camp staff contacted her mother and encouraged her not to reach out to authorities. In July of last year, roughly eight people identifying as victims or their family members went on air with a Texas TVnews broadcast to share their comments, their faces hidden from viewers. The bill would extend the age limitation for victims bringing civil action against any perpetrator of sexual violence or torturous acts against a vulnerable victim to 55. Paul Kerr, a former Kanakuk counselor hired in 1998, pleads guilty to child abuse in Missouri state court. If this bill is passed, Texas child sexual abuse victims could take legal action against their perpetrators for the rest of their lives. As I sought out legal action in an effort to hold my enablers accountable I was crushed to find out I was a few years past the Missouri statute of limitations, Hoffpauir said. Camp officials knew that Newman was having one-on-one sleepovers with boys yet retained him as an employee, the lawsuit says. This is not the first cover-up accusation Kanakuk has faced. Man first of all, we all need Jesus, that is a fact and a very big big fact! Let your courts hear these cases. This legislation is most serious, Rep. Seitz said in his testimony. For years, I just fought to be myself, he said. Addressed to Kanakuk CEO White but unsigned and undated, theletter outlines three demands from the survivor community: First, that the nationally-known evangelical camp agree to an outside investigation conducted by a law firm, with a goal of documenting abuse accusations the letter says have been kept secret to date. Re: New Staff Member. In a written testimonial, White writes: A weekend with Pete will build a father-son relationship that will never be the same.. Jessica Seitz of Missouri KidsFirst was the last to testify. He was charismatic, magnetic, the kids loved him. He gave us free will, we live in a fallen world, we choose to sin and the results are devastating. http://stopbaptistpredators.blogspot.com/2011/04/complicity-in-baptistland.html. All I can say is that this shocked all of us and made us truly sad. Morgan is convicted and sentenced to 10 years for statutory sodomy. Although it is coming out about Kanakuk leadership putting him on probation in 1999 and 2003, I have complete faith that they only knew about the streaking(which is inappropriate but probably not criminal). A lawsuit, Doe IX v. Kanakuk Heritage Inc., is filed in Missouri state court, alleging multiple instances of sexual abuse by Pete Newman and subsequent cover-ups by Kanakuk leadership. Joe Whites private pilot, Robert John Morgan, who flies him to speaking engagements and medical appointments, is indicted on charges of sodomizing a female victim under the age of 14. Thursday's open letter is not the camp's first brush with No More Victims. 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. Newman and Kanakuk Kamps founder and president Joe White are also defendants in the suit. Two civil lawsuits are filed in Missouri on behalf of John Doe X and John Doe XI, alleging sexual abuses and negligence against Pete Newman. The bill defines a vulnerable victim as any person who was disabled, a minor or both at the time they were sexually abused. And at 8 or 13 or those younger years when I was trying to tell what happened to me, I didnt have the strength. "Your clients website defames Kanakuk with baseless and dangerous allegations," Houston-based attorneys for the Missouri camp wrote, complaining of "unsubstantiated 'facts,'" and a "concerted misinformation campaign against Kanakukin hopes of attracting potential sex abuse victimsmost likely for its own (financial) gain.". Rebecca Randles, the Kansas City lawyer representing John Doe DK and his parents, said the alleged victim, now 26, is from southwest Missouri. The problem I have with White and Kanakuk is that they continued to employ Newman for years(even sending him to stay in the homes of some of the boys he molested to recruit other kampers)AFTER they had him sign a probationary agreement acknowledging his inappropriate behavior with young boys all in the name of PROFITnot a Prophet! Ive just received this press release initiated by the Turley Law Firm. The News-Leader tried to reach White, Kanakuk CEO and board chair, for an interview Thursday by calling three phone numbers linked to him in public database records and by emailing sixaddresses linked to White and his wife, Debbie-Jo. And when camp leaders learned that he was playing nude basketball and swimming nude with minor boys, it alleges, they sent him to a lawyer but continued his employment. I have all faith in Kanakuk that this wont happen. News Investigation Exposes Kanakuk Kamps Decades-Long Child Abuse Coverup WASHINGTON, DC (May 26, 2022) The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) renews its calls for Kanakuk Kamps leadership to acknowledge their failure to protect countless children that were in their care from sexual abuse.Survivors, family He pleaded guilty in Taney County in 2010 to two counts of first-degree statutory sodomy, three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy and three counts of child enticement. Three years later the Kanakuk survivors community is connected and knows of more than 170 victims spanning from the 1950s to today, with allegations against 50 unique perpetrators. Many even take this burden to the grave. A claim against Kanakuk Kamps for sexual abuse is filed in Texas federal court by John Doe III. The most pressing issue I remember was we have to tell your parents, Jones said. Missouri currently stops the clock at 31-years-old, and youre pushing child rape victims, forcing them to sprint a race when theyre struggling just ot survive and heal., This is not fair, and it makes justice impossible.. He was one of the top faces of Kanakuk, perhaps only second to CEO and owner Joe White, who still runs the camp to this very day.. Dygert testified White and leadership at Kanakuk had caught Newman engaging in sexual abuse of children at least three times before his arrest and despite being mandatory reporters in Taney County there is no evidence Kanakuk leaders reported these situations to law enforcement or any government authority. This was a shock to everyone who has ever been to a camp or a parent of those children. Before kissing your children good-bye as they head out to their summer activities,be sure to ensure review this C-A-M-P-S checklist: Here is a guide which parents at NCOSE have found helpful12 Questions Parents Need to Ask Their Childs Summer Camp Program. So, I can see how the streaking fell under that category to the leadership. Additional coverage of abuse allegations at Kanakuk is available here: 2023 Baptist News Global. It sucks but that is just how it is. Webownership of the camp and many Kanakuk affiliates are alleged to have abused youth from the 1950s-today. If people were more informed of the signs and behaviors, these cases would be less and less frequent. The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, alleges that Kanakuk and White knew as early as 1999 that Newman had been disrobing and involving children attending Kanakuk camps in nude activities and had only placed him on probation. For more than a decade, Evan Hoffpauir believed the camp director who sexually abused him at the Branson-area Kanakuk Kamps had acted alone. Hoffpauir noted in a public Facebook post intended to gain public support that speaking out might have been the hardest thing that Ive ever done. Other survivors are posting support on social media and sending messages to committee members. Newman is encouraged to host additional para-camp ministries, often one on one or in small groups, including his hot tub Bible studies, a practice he talks about in Kanakuk speeches and often uses as a location for abuse. The next step for Seitzs bill is an executive session hearing before a vote of the committee. The current civil statute laws only protect the perpetrator. Newman, now 38, received two life sentences plus 30 years. NewsMallory Challis | February 21, 2023. 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. But he didnt survive past the age of 29, so now I refer to him as a victim, and Im trying to be his voice. Survivors of child sexual abuse are attempting to enact laws in Missouri and Texas to change the legal landscape for Christian camps that cater to children and teens. It said the plaintiff, who at the time was from Texas, attended Kanakuk from 1998 to 2007 and that Newman molested him from 2001, when he was 10, to 2007. I really feel awful for these kids and hope they are able to put this nightmare behind them. The Lord will Bless Kanakuk. Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell, Lost Boys of Sudan: St. Johns Baptist Charlotte, Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church, Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center, Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio, Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church. These are all just common-sense approaches to a very real threat. A Missouri judge issues a restraining order against Kanakuk Kamps President Joe White to stop him from contacting a sexual abuse victim with unwanted letters, phone calls, emails, and care packages. In reading the lawsuit, the camp had to know. Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and significant financial settlements have concealed the truth in order to preserve a ministry brand and economic engine. Phillips said the current statute of limitations has a traumatic impact on survivors. I think so.. I know he never intended to employ a sexual predator. 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