", The lawsuit adds, "During each of these activities Defendant Newman falsely represented to the young Plaintiff that these behaviors were okay or normal and were not 'sinful'. They ziplined naked.It was just a guy thing at Kanakuk to be naked all the time.It was just part of the culture. "Bonding" was just one of the justifications Dygert and Hoffpauir say that Newman offered for his abuse. Shaffer said the camp reassigned Ringheim to maintenance after the complaint. Webhow to get to quezon avenue mrt station Uncovering hot babes since 1919. "They were mostly promoting Youth Life at that time," Dygert said, referencing the religious youth group that Kanakuk now calls "K-Life. All rights reserved. ", "A lot of times he called me by my last name," Dygert said. Webfrom dust we come to dust we return quran. Newman had other suggestions that same night, Dygert said: Dunking a basketball naked from a gymnastics board, for example. The stated objective: To help Pete understand what healthy ministry is, and to make sure Pete never places himself in a compromising position that his integrity would be in question. It only stopped, Hoffpauir said, when he and Madison began seriously dating. "Honestly, I kind of remember being bitter about it," Hoffpauir said, recalling how Newman "withdrew" from his life as his relationship with his future wife began to blossom. '", He added, "Now, looking back, I know no grown man should be hanging out with a little kid like that.". He was only a summer staff. Its a fun event.. Newman pleaded guilty last year in Taney County court to three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy, two counts of first-degree statutory sodomy and two counts of enticement of a child. Dygert and Hoffpauir became friends in middle school, and both said that in the years since, each was often the only other confidant available. Increased focus on the development of our staff, and 3.) Moreover, the limited scope of the guilty plea concealed the sheer scale of the abuse. According to documents filed in related court cases, Newman was merely admonished on several occasions. And I just didn't answer. Any victim can reach out to Kanakuk by emailing us at victimsupport@kanakuk.com or access several independent victim advocacy organizations such as ChildHelp.org or Rainn.org, which can provide access to local support services, reporting assistance, and educational resources. Camp leaders rebuked the girls, not the boy, she said. He died in a car crashwhile apolice investigation was ongoing. White described Coors as a "well-buffed athlete," "tall and as handsome as a model.". "And I had still been aware of what had gone on, but at that point, I still didn't know that I had been so successfully groomed in this entire process, thatI still didn't realize it was wrong. Caroline asked to go home but says she was told that could only happen if she were injured. More:Kanakuk issues new statement on camp child sex abuse; survivor calls it 'disgusting'. Were not bringing the Lord into this, Chancey interrupted, according to Caroline. 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. He was 13. For more than a decade following these tragic events, Kanakuk has continued to work tirelessly to help ensure that this deeply deceptive and abusive behavior does not happen again. 25 Feb/23. It wasnt right.. I feel like I can tell you anything. An anonymous "John Doe" plaintiff who says he suffered sex abusewhile he attended a Christian youth camp based near Branson recentlysued a former counselorfor civil damages. Evan Hoffpauir, a man from Branson who says he survived sex abuse by former Kanakuk counselor Peter Newman, praised the First Baptist Church in West Plains for its move. 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. Pete Newman is serving two life sentences plus 30 years. But not everything is cracked up to what it seems, she said. asserted the Newman scandalwas more widespread and systemic, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. ", Hoffpauir characterized this line of thinking as "just kind of a toxic purity culture. He didnt tell me that this sexual purity expert hung out nude with kids or that hed wind up in a hot tub with the guy.. Always it was with my Christian friends , Newman wrote to a former camper., Never was there sexual attraction. We continue to offer support to victims, including independent counseling services (which are not shared with Kanakuk), and desire to help them in their healing journey. Kanakuk said in its most recent IRS filing thatrevenues topped $31.6 million in 2019. We will never stop being sorry for the pain inflicted on victims and their families. The negotiations were a bruising experience. When they vacationed in Florida, where Green was living, they invited him along, a common practice among Kanakuk families. She said the boy admitted he may have groped the girls, but Chancey wanted the girls to apologize to the boy for making the accusation. "And the counselor was like, the camp's reaching out to victims, and don't worry about that. Apparently unaware of the previous allegations against him, parents sometimes hired Ringheimto escort their children to Kanakuk. DocumentsKanakuk released during civil court proceedings show camp leaders were made aware of Newmans nudity with children and other inappropriate behavior on multiple occasions from 1999 until his confession in 2009. The next morning, Caroline said, three other girls tearfully told her theyd been assaulted by the same camper. When heentered the room, kids chanted his name, Fusch said. ", Newman's call came in 13 years ago, butHoffpauir said he remembers thatwhen the phone rang, he was in bed watching TV with his wife, Madison. Christian summer camp in Branson, Missouri, camp leaders have repeatedly disregardedred flags, Survivors, ex-employees say unreported abuse at Kanakuk camps in Branson spans decades, Kanakuk's statement provided in response to the News-Leader's questions, Kanakuk camper says she was told to apologize, denied call home after reporting abuse, Former Kanakuk counselor Peter Newman named in new sex-abuse lawsuit, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. A civil lawsuit filed lateragainst Newman stated that Newman abused 57 underage victims linked to Kanakuk. "It's OK to have that urge and feel it and act upon it, as long as you're not lusting. More than 20,000 kids age 7-18 attend each summer. ", "It was just things that are not normal," Hoffpauir said. Years and years ago, he said, referring to the 1950s when he began attending camp. "All I know is, he said, 'Don't worry about it. This horrific pedophile who molested boys for years at Kamp Kanakuk, is You're going to hear some stuff, and I just need prayers. Chuck Price, aKanakuk programs director, was fired in 1990, according to a victim, her mother and two former Kanakuk staff members who investigated separate complaints that he inappropriately touched young girls. On that first night of abuse, Dygert said Newman told him, "'This would be one of the best bonding things we could do.' White said, Pete Newman is the most thorough relationship builder with kids in Kanakuk history. "The resulting civil lawsuits received little attention, and nondisclosure agreements silenced victims and kept evidence under seal. Other prohibitions in the playbook were oddly specific, according to Erin Wood, who worked as a Kanakuk kitchen helper from 1996 to 1998. There were several guidelines in it that my fellow kitchen staff couldn't make heads or tails of, Wood said, citing directives that included No naked zip lining and No naked devotionals., They had to include a rule telling counselors not to disrobe with their entire cabin of children under their supervision to discuss the Bible before bed, she said. Nobody really reacted, Jones said. Reporter Gregory Holman was born and raised in Branson, mostly living in Taney County until 2003. I was in a room with the director, and about three other people. Hoffpauir said Kanakukis "so prominent in Branson. 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. TWW wrote, in August 2016, Peter Newman, Serving 35 Years for Molestations at Kamp Kanakuk, Was Allegedly Hired by Fellowship Memphis While Awaiting Trial. I was a young girl, a virgin at the time, she said. As they discussed the matter, Whites 12-year-old daughter walked by. She's blaming other parents for not saying things, but they didn't even know. A day later, Fusch told his parents, who alerted police and met with a Dallas detective who specialized in investigating sex crimes. 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. Documents in the John Doe IX lawsuit mention later instances in which parents contacted Kanakuk with reports about Newmans behavior, but none specifically mentioned nudity or resulted in notable discipline. The new suit seeks$5 million in damages from Newman personally and isthe secondlawsuit against Newman to be filed in Christian County courts in the past three months. And like, competitive. WebNewman pleaded guilty in 2010 to seven counts of sexual abuse, and the prosecutor said Newmans victim count might be in the hundreds. Administrators response to the violation fell far short of the Kanakuk playbooks threat of instant dismissal, however. The detective suggested having the boy confront Green on a phone call, which police would record. Physical Inspection involved all ten campers (from a cabin or group) lining up naked in front of their two counselors, so that each counselor could give a once-over with a flashlight, to make sure the child had no ticks, bug bites, poison ivy, or signs of things like ringworm, etc., former director Cunningham wrote in an email. I lost it. "I don't think I really questioned why, I was just kind of flattered by it. "That was like a solid eight hours we're in mediation, just like, zero empathy or respect for us from the Kanakuk side, just downplaying everything that happened, lowballing us on the settlement figure.". After a few minutes we got out of the hot tub, and he took me home. ", More:Kanakuk camp 'abuse survivors' call for independent investigation into sexual assault accusations. The attention he got from Newman felt like "you've got this really special thing," Dygert told the News-Leader. Shower time was weird, he said. The connection is so deep, and that loyalty is so strong, that you'll essentially kind of do whatever to keep that relationship. Through offshoots like Youth Life (now dubbed "K-Life"), Kanakuk reaches even more children and teenagers than those who attend camp. No one else said it was wrong. "He, like, challenged me," Dygert said. More:Kanakuk's statement provided in response to the News-Leader's questions. ", In a statement on the camp's website, Kanakuk noted that "no charges for failure to report were ever filed against any Kanakuk staff" in connection with the Newman case and that "we were devastated by the deceptive practices of this individual, and continue to grieve with the victims and their families. Fusch said Green packed and left abruptly after hearing Fusch tell his sister about the abuse. Hoffpauir said that leading up to his marriage, he'd asked himself, "Who's the most spiritual, influential person in my life? Hoffpauir and Dygert said they are now choosing to make their stories widely public through the news and social media in order to help other survivors and to seek accountability. She said they reported it to their counselor, who arranged a meeting with camp director Keith Chancey. Increased responsibility for our camp's 14-acre property, 2.) Home; Features; Services; About; Contact; Login; Get Free Demo; pete newman kanakuk wife The Dygertssettled. But only he and Newman were present, he now recalls. I know what you were doing to me at night, and I didn't like it, he said on the phone with Green. 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. Two weeks after Leadership Weekend, I was informed that Pete would be continuing as my assistant director and that I was to play an enhanced mentoring role in Petes life., I suspected immediately that this decision had been handed down from Joe, and I felt incredibly minimized, used, and angry at being forced to work with a man who had broken serious policies, Cunningham said. Newman reportedly hadnaked conversations with campersand engaged in mutual masturbation and"hot tub Bible studies" with boys, as the News-Leader reported during his 2009 trial. He also went onfather-son retreats with Newman. The death was harder for me to deal with than the abuse,Fusch said, because I felt like I had driven him to it.. We want to insure [sic]that Pete be involved in a lifetime of ministry.. Craig Heidemann, attorney for the plaintiffs, dubbed John Doe XII and John Doe XIII in court filings, declined to comment on the lawsuits during a brief interviewMonday. ", "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. He wrote his phone number on my hand and said, 'Hey, let's hang out sometime.' More:Survivors, ex-employees say unreported abuse at Kanakuk camps in Branson spans decades. More than a decade later, Ringheim volunteered with KLIFE in Orlando. After Newman's trial, civil lawsuit allegations emerged. And they vouched for Pete. When Newman was arrested six months later, the camp issued an alert to camp families that included the sexual abuse allegations. In fact, the man who Newman was charged with crimes involving six underage victims butadmitted during sentencing to having inappropriate activity with as many as 13 more campers, according to News-Leader coverage of the proceedings. At minimum, this does not look good. "We graduated college, we spent about 10 years away from Branson, just being free and clear of everything this town has to offer. Yet according to an affidavit of Newmans former supervisor, included along with the lawsuit, Kanakuk leadership received reports of Newman engaged in nude activity with campers as early as 1999. Nothing happened to you?' Victim advocates and prosecutors have also said the number of Newman's victimscould be in the "hundreds.". Korte, the former camper from Nebraska, said she was frequently in one-on-one conversations with her counselors about the personal details of her sex life, as they asked her how far she had gone with her boyfriend and whether he pressured her to have sex. WebI have not seen Kanakuk publicize their knowledge of former camp director Pete Newmans extracurricular nude activity with minors. Please consider subscribing to support vital local journalism. One of Newmans victims called John Doe IX in court documents won a nearly $20-million settlement against Newman and Kanakuk in 2018. In Junior High, I started doing things with my friends like streaking and skinny dipping. 25 Feb/23. They met at a Youth Life event in 1999, a decade before the prayer-request phone call. The abuseexperiencelastedfrom 1999 until roughly 2003, during the time that Newman was a counselor at Branson-based Kanakuk Kamps. When Newman was arrested six months later, the camp 's 14-acre property, 2. Newman. 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