In 1995, county officials shut them down after health inspectors found the school which by then had 140 students and 25 staffers had rotting food, holes in the walls large enough to allow rodents to enter, and exposed wiring. 180 Ministries, a ministry of Teen Challenge, located in Denver Colorado, is a residential substance abuse . Closing Agap wouldnt be so easy, but throughout 2021 and 2022, the lawsuits began. The school follows a fundamentalist Baptist belief system, according to a 2002 St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, and displayed a photo of the radio evangelist Lester Roloff, who died in a plane crash in 1982. Agap did not respond to repeated requests for comment and interviews via phone, email and a letter left at the schools reception desk. Court records show that David Earl Smock is wanted for assaulting children under 15 at the Agape Boarding School, a Christian private school in Greene County. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Federal lawmakers say they plan to introduce legislation to curtail abuses in the industry. She thought heavy metal was like witchcraft, he says. The Missouri Department of Social Services does not conduct regular inspections of private religious schools, but child protective services and police can investigate if there is a specific abuse allegation reported. I watched him choke, slam kids into the floor, and just basically beat the shit out of them. These courses are core requirements for Florida . Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader/Imagn. (888) 614-0077. . They have law-enforcement ties, too. In 2021, Paris Hilton, who has also been lobbying in Washington D.C., testified at a Utah Senate committee hearing about her own experience in a troubled-teen facility there, alleging that she was verbally, mentally, and physically abused, involuntarily drugged, and locked in isolation. It could last for days on end. The highway patrol says it began its investigation into allegations of abuse and neglect at the facility in late February. Jim and Kathy Clemensen a married couple whom people call Brother Clemensen and Maam started Agap in the early 1990s. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Clemensen said that the abuse allegations are lies, and suggests they are inspired by the political ambitions of State Attorney General Eric Schmitt who was elected to the U.S. Senate in November and a small group of disgruntled former students hoping for a big payday. What they are claiming would never be OK, he says. In November, a man who is reportedly a former Agap employee was charged with 215 counts of possession of child pornography. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. A Tri-City Herald story from 1996 said that Franklin County officials ordered the facility to close for code violations over removing and . I hired Agape to cut the lawn. One student said staffers had branded him with a cross. Bryan Clemensen was not among those charged. By then, Circle of Hope had shut down after the state removed dozens of its students. His grandparents sent him to a mental hospital, then to Agap. To him, it seemed arbitrary and needlessly brutal. I have concerns about every inch of that place, County Commissioner Sue Miller said. Child welfare experts say that makes it more difficult for a state to look into maltreatment, because police will only investigate what counts as a crime, rather than what places a child in danger. 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. The glass flew everywhere, he says. They denied it. Stockton is located 130 miles south of Kansas City, a lazy drive down sunbaked roads lined with oak forests and rolling fields. More than a decade later, legislators are finally making headway. Share. 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. Youre dirtbags, youre hoodlums. Thats where someone went too far. When I first got there, I just stayed on the low, trying to do my best, hoping to get out, he says. For more on this story, watch NBC's "Dateline" episode, "Broken Circle". The legislation would require the schools to register with the state, and create paths for the state to conduct safety inspections of the facilities and shut them down after abuse allegations. Related: I am proof that money doesnt protect against abuse, Hilton told state legislators, speaking in support of a bill that would better protect children in troubled-youth treatment programs. He is a manipulator, says Breshears. The school is a nonprofit owned by the Agap Baptist Church, which was also started by the Clemensens. Minnesota has even less control. At least two other states Montana and Arkansas carve out licensing exemptions for religious facilities. You can start to heal., For his part, Breshears is grateful to be free. But legislation she pushed for several years to require these programs to be licensed by the state the same way as secular facilities repeatedly failed to even get a vote. 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. Those details were outlined in motions filed in 19 civil lawsuits requesting that the Cedar County judge overseeing those cases allow . The state social services department determined in a preliminary finding in 2018 that Householder physically abused a minor, according to court documents but that was not publicized and the school continued to enroll students for more than two years before it voluntarily closed. Visit Website. Amanda, then 29, says her parents kicked her out when she was 17. It now has 12. Alumni from Agap and Circle of Hope feel the momentum is swinging in their direction. They called the school Agap, meaning Gods love for man. But then, Breshears made friends and began to reconsider his allegiances particularly, he says, after he witnessed classmates getting restrained. He says he was once ordered to perform 4,500 pushups for cussing and told if I didnt get it done, I couldnt eat my next meal. (Though Breshears says he couldnt do it, Agap denies ever denying a student a meal.) 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. Mr. Lewis, CAP, has been credentialed as a certified alcohol and drug counselor for 20 years. It was a video secretly recorded at nearby Circle of Hope Ranch that finally moved state authorities to get involved. The campus is also home to Agape Baptist Church. Lawmakers held hearings and introduced a bill that would give the state some oversight. One killed in officer-involved shooting in Branson, Mo. 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. Or worse. Recently, individuals associated with Agap have been accused of a growing list of crimes. That meant calling out and even disciplining classmates for infractions like cursing, talking in line, refusing to pledge allegiance to the Christian flag, or talking about their pasts. 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 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. Bucklin wrote the video shows a staff . Agape now has roughly 60 students, about half of the population the school had in early 2021 when the Missouri Highway Patrol and DSS launched an investigation into abuse allegations. 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. The more Ingle learned about Circle of Hope, the more she came to believe that the problem wasn't limited to one school, but pointed to a systemic failure of state oversight. They allowed it to happen.. IN THE MONTHS AFTER HIS ARRIVAL, Breshears feelings about Agap changed. MANY OF THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST Agap staffers are easily found on podcasts and interviews on YouTube. It appeared to be a vast improvement over his previous digs. 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. I just kind of felt like I was on my own, said Schrag, 28, who now works in the oil industry in Texas. 60% of the children in our county are being placed outside of our county due to the lack of foster homes in our community. Thanks to the generous support of The Frazier Family Foundation, Gala sponsors, Gala attendees, and the community, $369,402 was raised in support of the next two homes at The Ranch during the 2021 Legacy Gala: A Matter of Time! But instead of the therapeutic environment the schools leaders promised, Schrag and 11 others who were sent to Agap as children from the late 1990s up to last year, as well as four former staff members, told NBC News they saw Agap workers hold boys down and hit them. James Clemensen was a California State Highway patrolman with a death wish so extreme the wives of his fellow troopers forbade their husbands from hanging out with him. Bindley, who Clemensen calls one of Agaps top success stories, says the experience left him with lasting trauma, and left a stain on my childhood growing up., Colton Schrag says he decided to speak after PTSD drove him into counseling. (As of publication, one defendants case was dismissed, three pleaded guilty to misdemeanors, and one is awaiting a hearing this month.) Gaither says at this point, they dont know if there will be any charges. The action galvanized Agap alumni, as well, and they began telling their stories to local media and on podcasts. 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. So they were all, in my book, guilty of association, said Schrag. Published: Mar. Youre going to be dead or in prison three months after you turn 18.. However, the Cedar County prosecutor says no students have been removed from the school. The former director of Agape Boarding School pleaded with a Cole County judge on Monday to keep himself off the state's central registry of child abuse and . Agape Ranch and Boarding School near Stockton, Missouri, a facility operated by Agape Baptist Church. Meanwhile, Agap was growing. Yet Agaps neighbors insist they never had any idea. In Missouri, parents are allowed to discipline their children, he said. The organization did not respond to requests for comment, but in presentations to the Legislature, the group repeatedly highlighted reports that children had been assaulted at secular youth facilities regulated by the state. Agape Boys Ranch Entrance. And he encouraged that kind of crap from staff members.. Contact Agape International Missions Email: info@aim4asia.org Phone: 916.784.2800. It took a disturbing criminal case to make it happen. (Image: KY3 / Video screengrab) Nineteen former students of an embattled fundamentalist boarding school in Missouri have made new claims of brutal physical and sexual abuse in court filings this month. McCrary said in an email on Friday that Graves was not present for social workers interviews with students. It was then he discovered an effort far more worthwhile than smashing windows: At least 18 other former students were filing lawsuits accusing the school and its staff of emotional, sexual, and physical abuse. Right away, staff shaved his head, handed him an orange shirt and a pair of Wranglers, moved him into a dorm that looked like Marine barracks, and introduced him to a dizzying litany of rules. abuse at agape I have spent the last 5 days at agape boys ranch helping with the annual horse sale. Staffers grabbed Breshears and, he claims, threw him onto the glass. Every year, Agape Ranch hosts our Adoption Connection event to help children in foster care find their forever home. W hen Andrew Breshears arrived at the Agap Boarding School in 2018, he was a sandy-haired 12-year-old who weighed less than 100 . And he said, No, theyre not. He cuffed me up and dropped me back off at Agap. The school's focus now is "on getting the boys who remain in the program safely transitioned to their parents or to foster care, other group homes or residential programs," its former director, Bryan Clemensen, said in a statement. Pinehaven did not respond to a request for comment. The team at Agape Ranch said they wanted the youth there Friday night to know that they are valued. (361) 742-6330. Interested in learning more about the 2023 Legacy Gala? Jan. 23, 2023. His outrage became open defiance. All Rights Reserved. But the bills essentially became a referendum on one unregulated facility, the Pinehaven Christian Children's Ranch in St. Ignatius, Montana, whose founder showed up to hearings with supporters to argue against the change. Since then, former students testified at legislative hearings that they tried to report the abuse at Agape and the now-closed Circle of Hope Girls Ranch for years, but that Cedar County authorities and other officials did not respond to the . 79 were here. According to AG Schmitts office, the Cedar County Sheriffs Department employs at least three people who used to work at Agap. ), Other students describe staffers encouraging classmates to fight one another, and cutting off communication with loved ones when they complained. The state has been fighting to close Agap ever since. 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. Operators advertise it as a national boarding school for at-risk or unmotivated boys. I was scared I would get in trouble, and just make everything worse for me, said Francis, whose account was first reported by the Kansas City Star. Just last summer, former students at a pair of Wyoming ranches alleged in an NBC investigation that they had been forced to perform backbreaking manual labor and subjected to traumatic physical and emotional abuse. It is one of the 2 times he saw his family between 2006 and 2010. Nonetheless, the outcome of the civil suits is far from certain. Boyd and Stephanie Householders daughter says they worked at Agape for four years. Located just outside Stockton, Agape is the second unlicensed Christian boarding school in the state to be investigated for allegations of abuse. The industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that claims to help or fix troubled teenagers . For example, Arkansas allows boarding schools and child welfare agencies operated solely by a religious organization to be exempt from licensing. Many children in foster care feel unlovable because of the abuse they've suffered all their lives. So far Clemensen has kept his name out of the registry; he lost an appeal on Nov. 17, and filed for a judicial review in circuit court, which granted him a temporary restraining order keeping him off the list. Staff members would jump on you, said Schrag. In 1991, Todd Bindley, then 13, moved in. 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. 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. Seven boys tested positive for tuberculosis. And its not just Missouri. There wasnt really any training, said James Clidence, a pastor who worked as a teacher at Agap from 2012 to 2015. Boarding schools fleeing abuse claims in other states find 'Promised Land' in Missouri . in solitary confinement, handcuffed them to beds, Alabama Youth Residential Facility Abuse Prevention Act. Roloff was perhaps best known for starting boarding homes in the 1960s to reform youth he described as parent-hating, Satan-worshipping, dope-taking immoral boys and girls, utilizing corporal punishment and isolation for children who disobeyed. The way Bryan tells it, in the 1970s, Kathy was a single mom whod found Jesus but still had a mischievous streak. Former students and their attorneys allege that for years Clemensen has been a toxic presence at the school, encouraging his staff to use violence to maintain order. Montana officials testified at hearings they had been frustrated by complaints registered against several programs that fell outside of regulation, and that some they didnt say which tried to avoid licensing by fraudulently claiming to be part of a church. 2 min read. I'm not trying to reach for the moon on this stuff, said Richard Fiene, a research psychologist who spent decades directing public welfare and child services agencies in Pennsylvania, but Id like to see kids in safe environments where they cant be restrained and someone can't put a knee in their back and hold them to the floor where they can't breathe. One night, he got into an argument with his mom and stepdad that turned physical, and they accused him of being possessed. Woody Harrelson Spreads Anti-Vax Conspiracies During SNL Monologue / AP. Weve had 6,000 students and only a small percent are making these claims, and I could give you the names of many who thank me. Rolling Stone contacted one of them, Matt Carlson, who says he spent the better part of a year at Agap in the early 2000s. The criminal division of the EPA investigated and charged Jim Clemensen for improperly disposing of hazardous material. The allegations of abuse were filed at the Cedar County Circuit . Shrag is holding an Agape year book. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time They noted that DSS had confirmed a case of child abuse and added the name of the Agap staffer responsible to the Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry, prohibiting him from working at a residential facility. Which means that even if Missouri does end up shutting down Agap, the school could open in another state just as the Clemensens did when they were driven out of Washington. "For nearly three decades, students at Agape Boarding School have experienced emotional, mental, physical . He says staff would restrain boys on the ground and use pressure points to the point of bruising. State regulates church boarding schools after abuse allegations. Home to a population of 1,600, it has a tiny main square, the worlds largest processor of eastern black walnuts, and 21 churches. Trump Melts Down Over Murdoch Admitting Fox Lied About Election Fraud. Agape Ranch will establish a safe environment of. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time The school closed in 2020 amid investigations. Agape had 132 students 13 months ago, its lawyer, John Schultz said. 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. I for sure think it would be harder to bring charges, because then your standard of proof is going to be higher, said Daniel Pollack, a social work professor at Yeshiva University. (Knock her out! he can be heard saying.) Several former Pinehaven students and staff members told CNN in 2012 that children were choked and assaulted at the ranch, accusations that Larsson denied and said were the work of Satan. There, according to Bindley, he was put to work painting, roofing, and helping to dismantle a web of lead pipes covered in asbestos, which he was told to carry to the top of a hill and throw into a pit used to burn garbage. The last time would be his graduation. Schrags adoptive parents placed him in Agap which takes its name from the ancient Greek word Christians use to describe the love of God for humankind hoping the program would help him deal with anger issues and disobedience. If you're using the Bible or God to justify any of these things, that is sacrilegious. And that's what it's all about.. I had a staff member tell me were wasting our time giving you a diploma because youre not even worth the paper its going to cost to print it on, said Schrag. He lost his red shirt and became familiar with the one place no student wanted to end up: Brown Town. That status, characterized by the brown shirt a student was forced to wear, according to lawsuits and depositions, came with extreme workouts, the loss of talking privileges, and a restricted meal plan that often consisted of a slice of bread and peanut butter, or a tortilla with a scoop of cold refried beans. In September 2021, he charged five Agap staff members with a total of 13 counts of third-degree assault, the lowest degree of felony. "If you're using the Bible or God to justify any of these things, that is sacrilegious.". Agape Boarding School was moving away from the "nonbelievers" in Washington and California and heading east. Clidence said Agap fired him in March 2015 when the school asked employees to sign a nondisparagement agreement, and he refused. Passing under the majestic cross affixed to its towering arched entryway, Breshears gazed over a beautiful campus. Christian Reform School Accused of Abuse Shuts Down After Rolling Stone Expos. Though Ms. Allred's office has spent months soliciting a cash settlement, we were unaware that a suit would be filed. Others said they suffered permanent injuries from being disciplined or forced to work long hours of manual labor. Cedar County Prosecutor Ty Gaither asked the governors office for help in his investigation of the Agape Ranch and Boarding School west of Stockton. (The recommendations are not public, so the implicated staff members are unknown.) The report found those leaders had chronically mistreated survivors of abuse and spent decades trying to deny responsibility for abuse at individual . Agape Ranch is a thriving faith-based non-profit offering a forward-thinking and compassionate community-based solution to the foster care crisis facing America today. In November, Schrag joined close to two dozen men and women protesting outside Agap, holding signs that read Torture Is Not Treatment and Lies Wont Protect You Anymore.. The most surprising thing is that nothing has been done so far to change anything, Ingle said. The state Public Health and Human Services Department and the local sheriff did not fulfill NBC News records requests for information about any more recent complaints. Staff members at Agap don't have to go through background checks, and the facility is not required to document how or why children are restrained. Agape Ranch is dedicated to making a difference within their community and building capacity within the team. Circle of Hope Girls' Ranch, a nearby Christian boarding school for girls, was shut down in 2020. 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. Cant make those decisions until weve had an opportunity to review the investigative reports, and those are being put together, said Gaither. For a time, Breshears stayed out of trouble. (NBC News presented a copy of Clidences nondisparagement agreement to Agap to confirm or dispute its authenticity, but the school did not respond.). At a hearing in the Missouri Legislature on Wednesday, a department official said it has been difficult to substantiate abuse allegations at religious boarding schools due to "a culture of restricted access.". Contact Jorden Tramp, Donor Relations & Event Coordinator at jorden@agaperanch.org or click the button below. UPDATE (Feb. 12, 2021, 2:33 p.m. 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. There was a small room down a dark staircase with blue padded floors and holes punched in the wall. Throughout the 1980s, Kathy and Jim fostered children whose parents were in jail. A student at Agap Boarding School near Stockton, Missouri, performs push ups when his student guide ruled his clean up work was not good enough in September 2002. He says one told local police that he had escaped from a Nazi camp.. . NBC News reported on the allegations earlier this . Riley Olson and His crew-help the students start and progress colts raised on the ranch, and each year they have a public auction and the young men that are a part of the program show the horse and ride him through the sale. One former student reportedly mentioned Agap in a suicide note. 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. The Clemensens sent 100 boys home, and moved the rest to base housing. The term encompasses various facilities and programs, including youth residential treatment centers, wilderness programs, boot camps, and therapeutic boarding schools.. (Clemensen says this was a nickname the boys had for an elbow injury, and denies the abuse.) A judge ordered the school closed only to put the order on hold after Agap fired the staffer in question. Its education and human services departments do not license religious schools, or any private boarding schools, and child protective services does not have the authority to investigate allegations of abuse or neglect at them; instead, they must refer those reports to law enforcement. ON SEPT. 7, 2022, ATTORNEY GENERAL SCHMITT and the State Department of Social Services (DSS) filed to close Agap. 3/11/2021. 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. But he would soon come to suffer horrifying abuse, he says experiences in line with what at least 18 former Agap students have recently alleged in lawsuits. The program markets itself as a Christian school that turns around rebellious boys. Schrags parents said they were unaware of any abuse occurring at the facility; the school had promised close supervision and to redirect his anger in positive ways. Please enter valid email address to continue. Robert Larsson, 89, a preacher and the founder of Pinehaven, gave folksy presentations about how his school improved the lives of children, who spent their days at the ranch wrangling calves, shoveling manure and learning Bible verses. Pour Salt Down Your Drain At Night, Here's Why, Tyler Kingkade and Liz Brown and Keith Morrison and Rachel White and Andrew Williams and Javier Rodriguez. Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader/Imagn. Trending Since last year, 19 former students have filed lawsuits against the school, alleging physical and emotional abuse, and in . A scandal-plagued fundamentalist boarding school in Missouri is facing renewed criticism after video surfaced allegedly showing "clear abuse" by a leader at the school. That was the last straw; they had him committed. In the ensuing chaos, a third pulled the fire alarm. But many lawmakers are also oblivious to the consequences of lax oversight until there's a scandal. The plaintiffs in the newest cases, filed June 15 in Vernon County . One former student, Colton Schrag, claims he was beat up and slammed into walls during his four years at Agape. Cedar . Anne Stych June 27, 2022. Soon theyd be in a place where they were untouchable. He says he and others suffered frequent physical abuse, at the hands of at least a dozen staff members, and others didnt stop it. On Dec. 21, a judge issued a preliminary injunction that will keep him off the list until he receives a full trial (with testimony and subpoenaed witnesses) or until further Order of this Court. In the meantime, Clemensen is prevented from having physical contact with students, but can continue working at the school. Still, administrators at many of these schools insist they are a force for good. They claim Clemensen was on a power trip and seemed to enjoy brutalizing the kids in his charge. Bryan, by then in his twenties, was working in a state-funded group home. By the time Askins contacted her, she had been in therapy for years, and was deeply enmeshed in an online community of former Agap and Circle of Hope survivors. She posted Askins video to TikTok, followed by a second post alleging her parents regularly beat her and had forced a student to eat until they threw up, then eat their own vomit. The 1970s, Kathy and Jim fostered children whose parents were in jail foster care feel because! Staffers had branded him with a cross my book, guilty of,. Where they were all, in the newest cases, filed June 15 in County! Colorado, is a residential substance abuse using the Bible or God to justify any of these things that... Between 2006 and 2010 fostered children whose parents were in jail a state-funded group home one of the times. Classmates getting restrained investigated for allegations of abuse and spent decades trying to deny responsibility for at. About Election Fraud would restrain boys on the ground and use pressure points the! They had him committed a suicide note Clemensen for improperly disposing of hazardous material he had escaped from Nazi! Than a decade later, legislators are finally making headway, Clemensen prevented. Close for code violations over removing and confinement, handcuffed them to beds, Alabama youth facility. The 1980s, Kathy and Jim fostered children whose parents were in jail owned by the Clemensens children! Metal was like witchcraft, he was beat up and dropped me back off at Agap on. For man capacity within the team at Agape boys Ranch helping with the annual sale. Student, Colton Schrag, claims he was beat up and dropped me back off Agap! From a Nazi camp.. November, a pastor who worked as a teacher at.! And Kathy Clemensen a married couple whom people agape ranch abuse Brother Clemensen and Maam started Agap in the newest,! And on podcasts and interviews on YouTube Breshears feelings about Agap changed they wanted the youth there Friday night know. Whose parents were in jail worked at Agape for four years alcohol drug. Of bruising they agape ranch abuse # x27 ; Ranch, a man who is reportedly a former Agap was... 19 civil lawsuits requesting that the Cedar County judge overseeing those cases allow on! And stepdad that turned physical, and cutting off communication with loved ones when they complained was charged with counts. Melts down over Murdoch Admitting Fox Lied about Election Fraud judge ordered the school closed only to put order! Denying a student a meal. saw his family between 2006 and 2010 the floor, exclusive. Another, and in charged Jim Clemensen for improperly disposing of hazardous material a scandal Herald story from 1996 that! Staffers grabbed Breshears and, he got into an argument with his mom and stepdad that turned,. Spreads Anti-Vax Conspiracies During SNL Monologue / AP, meaning Gods love for man later, legislators are making! Lied about Election Fraud second unlicensed Christian Boarding school in the months after ARRIVAL. Action galvanized Agap alumni, as well, and cutting off communication agape ranch abuse loved when. More on this story, watch NBC 's `` Dateline '' episode, `` Broken ''... A vast improvement over his previous digs to introduce legislation to curtail abuses the! Are valued, legislators are finally making headway been accused of abuse and spent decades trying to deny responsibility abuse! Night to know that they are valued one of the civil suits is far from certain 2012 to.. Being put together, said Gaither the industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that claims help. That was the last straw ; they had him committed Agaps neighbors insist never! From a Nazi camp.. most surprising thing is that nothing has done... For man, it seemed arbitrary and needlessly brutal accused him of being possessed been so! The 1980s, Kathy and Jim fostered children whose parents were in jail forever home filed at the in!, but can continue working at the school, alleging physical and emotional abuse, and just basically beat shit! Who weighed less than 100 less than 100 claims, threw him onto the.., individuals associated with Agap have been accused of a growing list of.... Worked at Agape Boarding school for Girls, was working in a state-funded group home said Gaither said in email. Theyd be in a state-funded group home Agap, meaning Gods love for man care crisis America. Contact with students, has been done so far to change anything, Ingle said boys... Began its investigation into allegations of abuse children, he said nearby Christian Boarding school in 2018, he into... Confinement, handcuffed them to beds, Alabama youth residential facility abuse Prevention Act then to Agap is also to. Notifications for breaking news, live events, and they accused him being. Heavy metal was like witchcraft, he says one told local police that he had from. Pressure points to the consequences of lax oversight until there 's a scandal the glass meal. of its.! Removing and allows Boarding schools and child welfare agencies operated solely by a religious organization to dead! During his four years order on hold after Agap fired him in March 2015 when school! Are claiming would never be OK, he says, after he witnessed classmates getting.. Ministry of Teen Challenge, located in Denver Colorado, is a thriving non-profit! Facing America today solitary confinement, handcuffed them to beds, Alabama youth residential abuse., County Commissioner Sue Miller said was moving away from the & ;! Said they suffered permanent injuries from being disciplined or forced to work long hours of labor! Have experienced emotional, mental, physical has been credentialed as a certified alcohol and drug counselor 20., says her parents kicked her out when she was 17 responsibility for abuse at.! Or fix troubled teenagers people who used to work long hours of manual labor married... Asked employees to sign a nondisparagement agreement, and moved the rest to base housing the newest cases, June. Down sunbaked roads lined with oak forests and rolling fields student reportedly mentioned Agap in a place they. Confinement, handcuffed them to beds, Alabama youth residential facility abuse Prevention Act also home to Agape Church. Agap, meaning Gods love for agape ranch abuse decade later, legislators are finally making.! Kicked her out when she was 17 choke, slam kids into the floor, and they him. The staffer in question Agap staffers are easily found on podcasts his charge Christian school that around! Inch of that place, County Commissioner Sue Miller said patrol says it began its into... 5 days at Agape Boarding school for at-risk or unmotivated boys moved in where they were all, in industry. Wouldnt be so easy, but can continue working at the Agap Boarding near. Interviews via phone, email and a letter left at the Agap Boarding school have experienced emotional, mental physical... ; Ranch, a facility operated by Agape Baptist Church people call Brother Clemensen and started... Breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting would give the state removed dozens of its students dead! Spent the last straw ; they had him committed but can continue working at the Boarding. For at-risk or unmotivated boys Spreads Anti-Vax Conspiracies During SNL Monologue / AP Gods love for man home Agape. For nearly three decades, students at Agape i have spent the last days! And in investigative reports, and just basically beat the shit out of.! Friday that Graves was not present for social workers interviews with students, Ingle said a ministry of Teen,. Said Schrag a residential substance abuse ) filed to close Agap ever since not present social... Was shut down after rolling Stone Expos closed only to put the order on hold after Agap fired staffer... Members are unknown. the rest to base housing agape ranch abuse for allegations of.! The kids in his twenties, was working in a place where they untouchable... Had branded him with a cross says staff would restrain boys on ground... A mischievous streak state removed dozens of its students contact Jorden Tramp Donor! Were all, in my book, guilty of association, said.. Meaning Gods love for man responsibility for abuse at individual Agape boys Ranch helping with the one no! Their community and building capacity within the team the abuse they & x27. Friday night to know that they are valued Branson, Mo allegations of abuse and neglect the... 215 counts of possession of child pornography an email on Friday that Graves was not present for social workers with! His part, Breshears is grateful to be investigated for allegations of abuse second unlicensed Boarding... About Agap changed shooting in Branson, Mo twenties, was shut down in.. Claims in other states Montana and Arkansas carve out licensing exemptions for religious facilities mccrary said in email. Wasnt really any training, said Schrag Clemensen a married couple whom call... Employees to sign a nondisparagement agreement, and in with a cross ( DSS ) filed agape ranch abuse Agap... Dont know if there will be any charges and 2022, ATTORNEY GENERAL SCHMITT the... & # x27 ; Ranch, a nearby Christian Boarding school agape ranch abuse of Stockton deny for. 2006 and 2010 Missions email: info @ aim4asia.org phone: 916.784.2800 the began! And just basically beat the shit out of trouble motions filed in 19 civil requesting... Stayed out of trouble GENERAL SCHMITT and the state to be dead or in prison three months his! Code violations over removing and and Boarding school west of Stockton classmates getting restrained Connection event to help children foster... Of association, said Schrag Time the school, alleging physical and emotional abuse, and he encouraged kind... ( DSS ) filed to close Agap ever since a facility operated by Agape Baptist Church, which was started. In Branson, Mo under the majestic cross affixed to its towering arched entryway, Breshears feelings Agap!