BRANSON, Mo. 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. Kanakuk, Newman's former employer, is a Christian sports camp that's been in business since 1926. The letter demands Kanakuk admit thatnumerous allegations of sex abuse by people linked to the camp are true. Kanakuk issues new statement on camp child sex abuse; survivor calls it 'disgusting', Survivors, ex-employees say unreported abuse at Kanakuk camps in Branson spans decades, Kanakuk camper says she was told to apologize, denied call home after reporting abuse, Kanakuk's statement provided in response to the News-Leader's questions, From the editor: How we reported stories about sex abuse at Kanakuk Kamps, Branson men, both 34, describe Kanakuk sex abuse, call for camp to be held accountable, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. They throw all these bubbles on you. He was a camp director at Kanakuk Kamps, one of the largest Christian 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. On June 9, 2010, Newman, then 34,pleaded guilty in Taney County court to eight charges of sexually abusing six childrenin connection with his role as a counselor and director at nearbyKanakuk. More than 20,000 Dygert said he signed a non-disclosure agreement with Kanakuk. At K-Kountry, counselors and campers all showered together in a facility with no separate stalls or partitions, said former director Will Cunningham. Former Kanakuk staff interviewed for this story, including a supervisor who recommended Newman be fired in 2003, say those complaints were repeatedly excused and dismissed. WebSample Page; ; 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. Tennessee resident Michael Armentrout, who worked at Kanakuk as a counselor in 1997 and 1998, also found the nudity disconcerting. A camp staffer referred questionsto a general "communications" inbox. ", Echoing similar suits filed in the past, Doe XIII's complaint asserts that beforeNewmans 2009 arrest and prosecution in Taney County, there were "at least 57 alleged victims of Newman including Plaintiff.". No one else said it was wrong. We want to insure [sic]that Pete be involved in a lifetime of ministry.. Kanakuk Kamp CEO Joe White. She didnt think much of it at first. 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 letter, which references Newmans potential promotion to director at K-Kountry, is generally encouraging but notes the need for Newman to develop Directors Judgment and Directors Restraint when spending time with kids. The organization issued a statement on the eve of publication, saying, in part: In addition to questions about Pete Newman, you have now asked that we give an account for things which allegedly occurred 30 or 40 years ago, and for allegations of concerning activity between minor persons that attended Kanakuk. Jones said she was laying down to watch the movie when Chuck Price sat next to her and began tickling her foot. Kind of a step further than that is holding Kanakuk responsible. After showering with the boys once or twice, my co-counselors and I would wait and even take turns. 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. Newmans initial arrest and sentencing received little media attention. Nobody really reacted, Jones said. (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. Accusations of sex abuse tied to Newman and Kanakuk have made headlines recently as two journalists with conservative online news site The Dispatch published a report on March 28 that asserted the Newman scandalwas more widespread and systemic than previously understood. () Theyre everywhere. Dygert said he wanted to take the case to the public courts, but the settlement process had taken an "unbelievably enormous toll" on a family member "who was really struggling with her mental health." Home; Features; Services; About; Contact; Login; Get Free Demo; pete newman kanakuk wife ", "A lot of times he called me by my last name," Dygert said. Asked whether Kanakuk made a catastrophic mistake by not firing Newman when it first learned of his nude activities, Kanakuk Ministries President Doug Goodwin said Now, looking back, yes., Back then, you know, we were dealing with college kids that kind of stuff was not unusual, Goodwin, the camp's COO, said in a March 2021 interview. They met at a Youth Life event in 1999, a decade before the prayer-request phone call. Theyre spending ($4,800) a month to bring their kid, and some of these parents have two, three or four kids that are going through Kanakuk every summer, and so theres so much money that goes through the camp that ends up going to Branson and Taney County.. They went on fall and summer retreats, too. Another prohibition, spelled out in Kanakuks 2008 employee handbook, specified Gold Bond powder could only be used for legitimate reasons presumably the purposes listed on its container: relieving itching and controlling odor. "He, like, challenged me," Dygert said. Horn said he informed Chancey, the camp director; Chancey told him he had reported the incident to White, but said they wanted to allow the counselor to stay at Kanakuk. WebSample Page; ; Were not bringing the Lord into this, Chancey interrupted, according to Caroline. 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. 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. But ininterviews with dozens of victims and former camp employees reporters working for the Springfield News-Leader part of the USA TODAY Network learned how camp leaders have repeatedly disregardedred flags and prioritized ministering to those accusedof wrongdoing, instead of seeking justice for victims. In the intervening time, another camper reported that Price had rubbed her leg and stuck his hand up her miniskirt on a Kanakuk-affiliated bus trip in the mid-1980s. The summer of 2016 wasnt the first timeCaroline attended Christian summer camp in Branson, Missouri but it is the one etched most deeply in her memory. ", "He came in the lunchroom," Dygert said. No more reports of nudity with minors, (a prerequisite so obvious that it should never have to appear on a list of criteria for a Christian leader. They were spurred by a growing public awareness of controversy linked to Kanakuk that began in early 2021. In fact, Grimes did not leave voluntarily. That culture of forgiving extended to Newmanas well. And they need to suffer the repercussions of that, to show and send a message that you cannot take this lightly. Hoffpauir, now 34, recalledthat during the phone call, Newmantold him, "Things are getting crazy. Pete Newman arrived in Kanakuk in 1995 and was there for 14 years before being caught. (KY3) - A former Kanakuk Kamps counselor already convicted of sexually abusing young boys has been hit with another judgment in civil But even after Newmans 2010 conviction, Kanakuk leaders esteem for Newman remained evident. No victim should suffer in silence help is available. Shower time was weird, he said. 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. Corbie Dale Grimes, a counselor who held a variety of Kanakuk jobsin the late 1970s and 1980s, was sentenced to life in prison in 2002 for sexually abusing a boy in Texas in 1999. Kanakuk, meanwhile, did not directly respond to inquiries from the News-Leader for this report. In a 2021 phone interview recorded by a reporter, KanakukCOO Goodwin was asked if the camp knew of any reports, any misconduct involving Grimes during his employment. Kanakuk will forever grieve the victims of Pete Newman and their suffering and continue to pray for their healing and restoration. In a July 6, 2001 message printed on Kanakuk Kamps letterhead, Newmans supervisor, Cunningham, warned Newman to use extreme caution in his alone time with children.. That camper, who did not want to be identified, said she reported the incident to Kanakuk leadership. 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. Court filings in multiple lawsuits have alleged that Newmans nudity was reported to camp leaders repeatedly. One of Newmans victims called John Doe IX in court documents won a nearly $20-million settlement against Newman and Kanakuk in 2018. ", 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. And it no longer felt likecounseling.". While his family's home is locatedless than a mile from Kanakuk, he and his siblings never attended. Evan Hoffpauir and Keith Dygert, both 34, of Branson, Mo., survived child sex abuse by former Kanakuk sports camp counselor Peter Newman. Gradually, they connected with others who identify as survivors. In October 2003, after being confronted about being nude with campers, Newman signed a probationary contract. The Dygertssettled. He and his wife Lois live in Colorado. ", He added that the children of Kanakuk managers had, and have, a major role in the community's social life: "They were popular. Victim advocates and prosecutors have also said the number of Newman's victimscould be in the "hundreds.". And I told him, 'I don't feel comfortable with that.'". Hoffpauir describedthe abuse as "threefold:" physical, sexual and spiritual. The documents concerning the Hoffpauir said his mother, who only learned about his abuse experience in early February, "is doing awful. Branson resident Evan Hoffpauir said that in 2009, former Christian sports camp counselor Peter Newman, now a convicted sexual predator,called himwith a prayer request. Shaffer said the camp reassigned Ringheim to maintenance after the complaint. A request to interview Chancey and another staff member present at the meeting was declined by a lawyer for Kanakuk. ", "When that was normalized, when masturbation was kind of an inroad to what he wanted to do with boys, () To me, he kind of made everything else OK," Hoffpauir said. 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