Kathee Baird's Crime Scene Blog broke the story locally this afternoon. Ms. Baird opens her post in this fashion:
A Windermere, Florida man who worked as a volunteer for K-Life in Orlando has been charged with allegedly molesting at least two young boys at his home there.The scandal hits Kanakuk just a few short weeks after a lawsuit filed in U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas alleged that Kanakuk officials, including President Joe White, were negligent in allowing former camp director Pete Newman, now serving two life sentences plus 30 years in a Missouri prison, to molest dozens of boys over a 10 year period. The lawsuit alleges that White and Kanakuk officials ignored warning signs by allowing Newman to continue working at the camp and dealing with youngsters after incidents in 1999 and 2003 in which Newman and underage boys cavorted naked.
Edward L. Ringheim, 39, is facing seven felony charges of lewd and lascivious molestation in Orange County, and was fired from Universal Orlando after his arrest last week. Ringheim treated young men to free trips to Universal Studios by using his employee pass, one of the victims told authorities
Parents also let Ringheim accompany their children to Kanakuk's Branson, Missouri facility according to published reports. Investigators say he brought about 30 kids to Kanakuk for summer camp over a four year period.
The lawsuit was the second filed this year against Kanakuk and Newman. The first, filed Jan. 31 in Taney County Circuit Court also charges negligence in allowing a minor boy to be molested.
In the Florida case, Ringheim is free on $10,000 bond, but has been equipped with a GPS device and is not allowed to use social networkins sites or to be in touch with anyone from Kanakuk's Orlando K-Life operation.
The details surrounding Ringheim's crime can be read on the arrest record and affidavits.
Previous Turner Report posts on Kanakuk can be found at this link.
6 comments:
FYI...it's inaccurate to report "Kanakuk's Orlando K-Life" K-Life and Kanakuk are two very seperate and distinct ministries. K-Life does not receive any financial benefit from Kanakuk and attending K-Life does not mean you attend Kanakuk and vice versa
However, there would not be a K-Life without a Kanakuk.
I just love how "kamp" supporters love to split hairs.
K-Life has the same shoddy, loose hiring practices as the mothership.
Yeah those Kamp haters are equally as entertaining. Objectivity abounding all around.
It's weird. Kanakuk supporters never seems to admit the camp, or Joe have some level of responsibility. They just comment on the other people who leave comments.
Is it too painful to admit that the camp or the man might be flawed?
Or, you're just looking for a reason to use the word "haters" to feel cool?
I don't hate Kanakuk, and have not spoken to a person that hates Kanakuk. I'm simply holding both the camp and Joe to the level of accountablity that I expect from anyone in business...life...morality. If that makes me a hater by your definition, then I'm happy to agree.
The one thing overlooked in all of this is that Kanakuk is a huge BUSINESS. There product is GOD. It makes me sick that they are given such lattitudes by the local, state and federal governments because it is a "religious organization"! The reason this has stayed quiet is the almighty dollar!
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