Two more charged in connection with alleged McDonald County church sex cult

When felony sex charges were dismissed against Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church minister Raymond Lambert, his wife Patricia Lambert and sister-in-law Laura Epling in 2007, McDonald County's prosecuting attorney at the time Janice Durbin, the lawyer for the family said witnesses against his clients were "no longer willing to testify."

The lawyer for one of the accusers told an Associated Press reporter that was not the case. The witnesses were still willing to testify, but the case was dismissed anyway.

Fifteen years later in October 2022, Raymond Lambert, 67, was charged with raping a 10-year-old girl in 2013.

Today, McDonald County Prosecuting Attorney Maleia Cheney charged Laura Epling, 66, with statutory sodomy in the second degree, a felony. Patricia Lambert, 65, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree-sexual contact, a felony.

According to the probable cause statement in the Laura Epling case, Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper Travis Hitchcock came across statements from the earlier cases while investigating the charge against Raymond Lambert.

Between 4-4-2002 and 4-3-2004, at the age 15 to 16 years, Raymond Lambert instructed {the girl} to perform oral sex on him to which she complied. According to {the girl}, Laura Epling was present during the assault and acted in concert with Raymond Lambert by providing instruction and at one point placing her hand on {the girl's} head to assist her in the sexual act.

Hitchcock's probable cause statement in the Patricia Lambert indicates she participated with her husband and the girl on at least one occasion.

Between 4-4-2003 and 4-3-2004, at the age of 16 years, {the girl} stated Patricia Lambert came into Raymond Lambert's bed where {she} and Raymond Lambert were lying naked. {The girl} further stated Patricia Lambert fully disrobed and joined Raymond Lambert and {her} in the bed. {The girl} further stated Patricia Lambert had knowledge of Raymond Lambert's sexual assaults on {her} for three years leading up to the incident when {she} was 16.

At this point, McDonald County Circuit Court online records do not indicate Raymond Lambert has been charged yet in connection with the allegations against his wife and sister-in-law.

Bond for the two women has been set at $2,000, cash only.

During Raymond Lambert's October 2, 2006 preliminary hearing on sex charges, a witness who appears to be the same one making the allegation against Laura Epling testified.

Joplin Globe coverage of the hearing indicates testimony was given by the girl about Lambert having sex with his sister-in-law.

She said that on yet another occasion at Laura Epling's home, Lambert had been engaged sexually with Laura Epling, and that he asked the girl to perform an oral sex act on him. She testified that Laura Epling encouraged her to do as he had asked.

The Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church was founded by Patricia Lambert's father, the late Cecil Epling and was featured in a multi-part investigation by National Public Radio in December 2006.

At that time, charges had also been filed in Newton County against another church pastor, George Johnson. Assistant Newton County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Dobbs offered the following comment to NPR:

"We have, in McDonald County, Raymond Lambert, who is married to his stepsister," Dobbs says. "We have George Johnston, who is an uncle to Raymond Lambert. It is alleged by some members of that community that the religious leaders may, in fact, be the biological parents of several children who have been born into this group."

The NPR report also featured an interview with a family member who was not involved in any alleged criminal activity, who offered insight into the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church's beliefs.

"In April, I learned that my grandfather thought that his daughters needed taking care of spiritually," {the woman}tells NPR. "And so in order to do that, in order to keep his daughters, he had sex with them. He then went on to father a child for most all of his daughters, or his daughter-in-laws [sic]."

Her grandfather was the late Cecil Epling, a minister originally from Ohio. According to Burkett, Epling wanted his seven sons and four daughters to become a tight-knit community, so he helped buy them the Missouri farm. When Epling died, his stepson, Raymond Lambert, took over the ministry. George Johnston later joined the family's church.

Family members say Cecil Epling passed his sexual beliefs to both pastors, teaching them that they needed to fulfill the sexual needs of their daughters and selected girls in the church.

"What's inside of them is God, and they think that they have all the power, all that it takes to take care of a woman," {the woman} says.

Raymond Lambert is free after posting $5,000 bond. His next hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. December 14 in McDonald County Circuit Court.

Attorney General's office to assist in prosecution of alleged McDonald County sex cult leader

The Missouri Attorney General's office filed an entry of appearance indicating it will assist in the prosecution of former McDonald County pastor Raymond Lambert who is charged with the rape of a 10-year-old girl in the summer of 2013.

The pre-trial conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday before Judge John LePage in McDonald County Circuit Court, but that's no guarantee it will take place. Online court records indicate the hearing has been rescheduled nine times.

(Note: The photo of Raymond Lambert was taken during a 2006 hearing)

Lambert, 68, Washburn, was arrested October 12, 2022 by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which conducted the investigation.

It was not the first time Lambert had been arrested in connection with sex crimes involving a child. In 2006, Lambert was alleged to be the ringleader of a sex cult in the church he pastored, the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church. Church membership was approximately 100 and church members lived in what authorities described as a "compound." He and several members of his family, including his wife, Patricia Lambert and sister-in-law Laura Epling were also charged.

A McDonald County grand jury indicted Lambert in February 2008, charging him with four counts of child molestation, three counts of statutory sodomy and one count of child abuse in connection with ritual sex abuse of children.

Janice Durbin, who was McDonald County prosecuting attorney at the time, dismissed charges against Lambert June 10, 2008, again citing reluctance of witnesses.

After current McDonald County Prosecuting Attorney Maleia Anne Cheney filed the most recent charge against Lambert, she also filed charges against Laura Epling and Patricia Lambert.

McDonald County Circuit Court records do not indicate any current case against Patricia Lambert.

An amended complaint against Epling charged her with statutory sodomy, with the crimes allegedly taking place between 2002 and 2004.

From the probable cause statement:

Raymond Lambert instructed (the victim) to perform oral sex on him to which she complied. According to the victim, Laura Epling was present during the assault and acted in concert with Raymond Lambert by providing instruction and at one point placing her hand on (the victim's) head to assist her in the sexual act.

Judge LePage denied a motion to dismiss the case against Epling November 6. Her pre-trial conference is also scheduled for Wednesday, November 29.

No charges have been filed against Raymond Lambert in connection with the crimes described in Laura Epling's probable cause statement

Grant Valley Independent Baptist Church and the Lambert/Epling Family

The Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church was founded by Patricia Lambert's father, the late Cecil Epling and was featured in a multi-part investigation by National Public Radio in December 2006.

At that time, charges had also been filed in Newton County against another church pastor, George Johnson. Assistant Newton County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Dobbs offered the following comment to NPR:

"We have, in McDonald County, Raymond Lambert, who is married to his stepsister," Dobbs says. "We have George Johnston, who is an uncle to Raymond Lambert. It is alleged by some members of that community that the religious leaders may, in fact, be the biological parents of several children who have been born into this group."

The NPR report also featured an interview with a family member who was not involved in any alleged criminal activity, who offered insight into the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church's beliefs.
"In April, I learned that my grandfather thought that his daughters needed taking care of spiritually," {the woman}tells NPR. "And so in order to do that, in order to keep his daughters, he had sex with them. He then went on to father a child for most all of his daughters, or his daughter-in-laws [sic]."

Her grandfather was the late Cecil Epling, a minister originally from Ohio. According to Burkett, Epling wanted his seven sons and four daughters to become a tight-knit community, so he helped buy them the Missouri farm. When Epling died, his stepson, Raymond Lambert, took over the ministry. George Johnston later joined the family's church.

Family members say Cecil Epling passed his sexual beliefs to both pastors, teaching them that they needed to fulfill the sexual needs of their daughters and selected girls in the church.

"What's inside of them is God, and they think that they have all the power, all that it takes to take care of a woman," {the woman} says.
 

Preliminary hearing reveals details of minister's alleged sex crimes

The ritual sex practices of the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church were explored in detail during the preliminary hearing of Rev. Raymond Lambert Monday in McDonald County Circuit Court.
Jeff Lehr's article in today's Joplin Globe offers a chilling sample of the testimony given during the hearing:

When asked by Assistant Prosecutor Dan Bagley what happened next, she broke down emotionally on the witness stand and answered tearfully: "Raymond Lambert asked me to lay on the bed, where he climbed on top of me."
She said that while he did not penetrate her sexually, he fondled her breasts and touched her genitals. Afterward, he told her that he was "pleased" and "therefore God was pleased" with what she had done, she testified.

The article further details testimony that indicated Lambert had sex with his stepbrother Tom Epling's wife Laura in front of one of the victims:

She said that on yet another occasion at Laura Epling's home, Lambert had been engaged sexually with Laura Epling, and that he asked the girl to perform an oral sex act on him. She testified that Laura Epling encouraged her to do as he had asked.

As The Turner Report was the first to note, Laura Epling was charged Monday in McDonald County Circuit Court with felony statutory sodomy, the fifth church member, all of whom are also members of the Lambert/Epling family, to be charged. Her bond was set at $10,000.

Preliminary hearings for Laura Epling's husband Tom, her brother-in-law Paul Epling, and sister-in-law Patty Lambert, Lambert's wife, have been delayed. Paul Epling, Tom Epling, and Patty Lambert were all the children of church founder Cecil Epling, who died in an automobile accident in the early 1980s. Epling was also Raymond Lambert's stepfather.

The kicker to Lehr's story came when one of the alleged victims was asked about the type of religion offered at the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church:

One of two women who claim that the Rev. Raymond Lambert sexually abused them as teenagers drew derisive laughter from family members and friends in a courtroom Monday when she answered an attorney's question as to what kind of religion Lambert's church followed.
"You know what?" the woman answered. "I don't know."

Preliminary hearing Monday for alleged Mac County cult leader, accused of forcible rape of 10-year-old girl

The preliminary hearing for a former McDonald County pastor who was alleged to be the ringleader of a sex cult in 2006 is scheduled to be held 1 p.m. Monday in McDonald County Circuit Court.

Raymond Lambert II, 69, whose address is listed as Washburn in court files, is charged with forcible rape of a 10-year-old in the summer of 2013 and four counts of statutory sodomy. 

The prosecution is being conducted by the McDonald County Prosecuting Attorney's office and a special prosecutor from the Missouri Attorney General's office.

(Photo- Raymond Lambert, front, is shown during a court hearing in 2006.)

The allegations against Lambert include the following:

-Rape- Lambert allegedly forced the 10-year-old girl to have sex with him in a shed in the summer of 2013 after pushing her against the wall and grabbing her hair.

-Statutory sodomy- According to the complaint, between 2002 and 2004, Lambert reached into the pants of an underage boy and performed a sex act.

-Statutory sodomy- Lambert allegedly compelled an underage girl to perform an oral sex act on him while he touched her genitalia between 2002 and 2004

-Statutory sodomy- The complaint says Lambert committed the same crime mentioned in the previous paragraph with the girl on another occasion between 2002 and 2004.

Statutory sodomy- Lambert committed the same crime with a different underage girl in 1995, according to the complaint.

Felony charges against Lambert were filed in 2006, but were dismissed according to the McDonald County prosecuting attorney due to witnesses being reluctant to testify, though an attorney for the witnesses said that was not the case.

A McDonald County grand jury indicted Lambert in February 2008, charging him with four counts of child molestation, three counts of statutory sodomy and one count of child abuse in connection with ritual sex abuse of children.

Janice Durbin, who was McDonald County prosecuting attorney at the time, dismissed charges against Lambert June 10, 2008, again citing reluctance of witnesses.

At the time the charges were filed against him, Lambert was minister of the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church. Lambert and the church were located in what media described as a "compound" in rural McDonald County. Approximately 100 attended the church, which was termed a "cult" at that time and was not connected to any official Baptist organization.

NPR report: Lambert 'took care' of church's women

With all due respect to the work that has been done in the local media, primarily by KODE and the Joplin Globe in regard to the McDonald County cult case, the most thorough study into the scandal that has been the series offered this week by National Public Radio's Doualy Xaykaothao.
Ms. Zaykaothao landed the first interview with Rev. Raymond Lambert, who is charged with eight felony sex counts in connection with ritual sex with children. She also has provided more information through interviews with former members of the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church about the practices of the church and Lambert's beliefs.
The latest chapter is particularly chilling.

(One woman) recalls what Raymond Lambert said at the meetings: "He just told everybody that he had sex with Peggy and he had sex with Sandy and he had sex with Laura. And he would have sex with us, too, if that's what we needed to keep our souls."
Kevin Amey adds: "He said during the meeting that sex was a man's desire and a woman's need, and that a woman needed to be kept by a man of God. A woman needed to be taken care of sexually."

The report continues:

Kevin Amey says Raymond Lambert turned to some women in the church and asked them, "Did your dad ever take you into the woods and touch you sexually?"
"And he made them answer, and the answers were 'yes,'" Kevin Amey says.
According to (one woman), this is what Raymond Lambert said at one of the meetings: "He told my brother, who has three young daughters, he said, 'David,' he said, 'you're not man enough to go upstairs and f--- your daughters, are you?' And he said, 'No, I wouldn't want to.' And he said, 'Well, I am.'"

NPR investigation of McDonald/Newton county cult cases continues

National Public Radio's coverage of the McDonald and Newton County religious cult sex cases continues today with segments planned for Morning Edition and All Things Considered, NPR's signature news programs.
Thursday's coverage featured the following comment by Newton County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Bill Dobbs:

"We have, in McDonald County, Raymond Lambert, who is married to his stepsister," Dobbs says. "We have George Johnston, who is an uncle to Raymond Lambert. It is alleged by some members of that community that the religious leaders may, in fact, be the biological parents of several children who have been born into this group."

One alleged victim described her encounters with Rev. Lambert this way:

"The first incident started with taking my clothes off when I was 15 years old," she said. "He touched me from head to toe, every part of my body, and told me that this body belongs to God. And the only way that I could subject myself to God is to give my body to Raymond, who is God in the flesh." She grew up on the farm, passionately believing in God and church, trusting that her sexual relationship with Raymond Lambert would bring her closer to God. "I believed that it was right, and that it was OK," she said. "I didn't feel like I needed to tell anybody, because I was believing in that at the time."

A portion of the feature centered on the late Cecil Epling, whose beliefs form the basis of the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church and the Grandview North church:

Months before these allegations, families in the religious community were coping with other disturbing news, says Amey Burkett, who grew up on the 100-acre-farm.

"In April, I learned that my grandfather thought that his daughters needed taking care of spiritually," Burkett tells NPR. "And so in order to do that, in order to keep his daughters, he had sex with them. He then went on to father a child for most all of his daughters, or his daughter-in-laws [sic]."

Her grandfather was the late Cecil Epling, a minister originally from Ohio. According to Burkett, Epling wanted his seven sons and four daughters to become a tight-knit community, so he helped buy them the Missouri farm. When Epling died, his stepson, Raymond Lambert, took over the ministry. George Johnston later joined the family's church.

Family members say Cecil Epling passed his sexual beliefs to both pastors, teaching them that they needed to fulfill the sexual needs of their daughters and selected girls in the church.

"What's inside of them is God, and they think that they have all the power, all that it takes to take care of a woman," Burkett says.

Prosecuting attorney needs to tell reason for dropping charges in McDonald County sex cult cases

Nearly a week has passed and McDonald County Prosecuting Attorney Janice Durbin has still not come clean with county residents or the media about why she dropped sex charges against Raymond Lambert, pastor of the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church, his wife Patty Lambert, and sister-in-law Laura Epling.

The only reasons have come from the Lamberts and Eplings' (Mrs. Lambert is an Epling and was Raymond Lambert's stepsister before their marriage. Laura Epling is married to Patty Lambert's brother and Raymond Lambert's stepbrother, Tom Epling.) lawyer, Bob Evenson, who said the witnesses against his clients were no longer willing to testify.

That is not the case, the lawyer for one of the accusers told Associated Press. Though nothing has been heard from the McDonald County prosecutor, Newton County Assistant Prosecutor Bill Dobbs told the Joplin Globe he was continuing with a similar case of ritual sex involving children with Lambert's uncle, George Otis Johnston as the defendant.

If there is a good reason for dropping the cases, the person who dropped the case needs to be the one to reveal it and the media should keep on asking her the question until she does.

Globe, Daily continue coverage of Grand Valley cult

I am one of those who receive headlines from the Joplin Globe each morning by e-mail. Until this morning, I believed those e-mails were designed to keep me informed as to what the top story was in the day's edition.

I no longer have that belief.

On a day when reporter Derek Spellman takes the most thorough look yet at the cult behavior at the Grand Valley Independent Church in the Washburn area of McDonald County, there is no mention of it in the e-mail headlines.
The stories Globe editors thought readers would be most interested in were:

"Gridiron tradition continues at MSSU"
"Seneca refuses bagged leaves"
"No. 6 Trojans embarrass Razorbacks"
"PSU runs away in opener"
"Soybean farmers look for alternatives"
"Soybean farmers combine efforts for dairy operations"

Fortunately for those who went ahead and looked at the Globe website or at the print edition despite those headlines, they were treated to another Spellman spellbinder that grabs the interest from the start and never lets go.

This is the first story to even touch on the sway the late Cecil Epling has on this family two decades after his death:

This is the land that beckoned a West Virginian named Cecil Epling, who fathered the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church, more than 30 years ago. Epling is now dead, but his disciples have since expanded his church.

Information revealed in Spellman's article also brings more of a focus on Judge John LePage's decision to set bail so low for Rev. Raymond Lambert, 51, his wife (and stepsister) Patty Lambert, 49, and her brothers (and of course, Lambert's stepbrothers) Paul Epling, 53, and Tom Epling, 51.

Those in-laws also described the church as a place where officials jealously guarded their control. At one point, they said they were visiting their daughter in a room outfitted with microphones and surveillance cameras.

"You were never left alone," said Linda Jester, who, along with her husband and son-in-law, ultimately had to go to court to take her disabled daughter out of the compound. "You were monitored."

With all of the businesses this group has (which are also detailed in Spellman's article), and expensive surveillance equipment to protect their interests, it would have been reasonable to have asked for a steeper bond.
Spellman is also the first reporter to go into specifics about the tax-exempt property at the compound at Cecil Epling Way:

Properties that fall under the umbrella of the church and are thus tax exempt include the log cabin, the community center, a pair of buildings that house the "Grand Valley Christian Academy" and a kennel called "Grand Valley Kennels," according to the assessor's office. Proceeds from the kennel go to the academy, according to several Internet advertisements.

The rest of Cecil Epling's property is taxed and contains more than a dozen structures and has a total appraised value of more than $501,000, according to the assessor's office.

I am still curious as to just how much money this cult's tax exempt status is keeping away from the McDonald County School District, one of the poorest in the state.
The Globe's weekly Internet column featured comments on the Grand Valley cases.
***

Though the Globe featured the first in-depth print report on the activities at the Grand Valley compound, the Neosho Daily held its own, thanks to continued excellent work by John Ford and some hustle by reporter Todd Higdon, concentrating on another aspect of the story.
Higdon, who grew up only a few blocks from where the Eplings lived when their operation was based in Newtonia (I lived a few blocks on the other side of the Epling house), joined KODE on the spot in Grove, Okla., where Raymond Lambert, Patty Lambert, Paul Epling, and Tom Epling were staying at the Bear's Den Resort, where the Grand Valley group has a membership (another indication that the bond should have been higher). Higdon took a photo of Raymond Lambert, which is featured on the Daily's website.
Ford's article in this morning's edition details the removal of the four accused church leaders from Bear's Den Resort. Higdon's photo accompanies this post.
***
The coverage of the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church and its Newton County spinoff has been dominated by KODE's Tara Brown (KOAM was running close behind early, but appears to have dropped off for the moment) Ford and Spellman, with the Globe's Jeff Lehr also providing solid reporting.
Though the main purpose of journalism is not awards (and those should flow from reporters and editors doing their jobs), expect to see Ford and Spellman honored next year in the Associated Press Managing Editors and Missouri Press Association contests. And if things go as they usually do, you'll only read about Spellman's honors in The Turner Report, since the Globe doesn't seem to consider the strong work its reporters do to be news.
***
Hopefully, reporters will see fit to dig into court records and find out how accused sex offenders are treated in McDonald County and elsewhere. When people face multiple counts of sexual offenses involving children, are there normally no restrictions placed on their contact with children? John LePage placed none on the Lamberts and Eplings. Are there usually no restrictions placed on the movement of suspected sex offenders. Judge LePage placed none on the Lamberts and Eplings. I would be interested in seeing if this is standard procedure for sex cases in McDonald County and in surrounding counties, or if the Grand Valley group received preferential treatment.

Grand Valley church subject of Democrat-Gazette article

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette joined the newspapers offering coverage of the ongoing scandal surrounding cult-like churches in McDonald and Newton counties.
Reporter Michelle Bradford's article in today's edition describes the innocent people who have been harmed because of these allegations:

As the cases wind through courts in McDonald and Newton counties, some locals complain that bystanders have been snared into the scandal. Patti Farmer, who owns JJ's restaurant in Newton County, said everyone near Grand Valley Baptist Church North in Granby or its parishioners got a bad deal when Johnston, that congregation's pastor, was arrested. "Parents living out there had to hire lawyers and go to court to get their kids out of foster care," Farmer said. "The couple who owns the property are stuck without renters because the police ran everyone off. A lot of people are caught in the middle of this — a lot of innocent people."

Jennings said police took several children into protective custody from Hebron Road, but he wouldn't give details. They are part of an ongoing investigation, he said. Assessors records show George and Trina Carney own the 14. 9 acres on Hebron Road once occupied by the church. According to Farmer, the Carneys are stuck in a financial bind now that their renters are gone. Trina Carney said in a phone interview her lawyer told her not to talk to the media. "We own the land, yes, we own all of it," Trina Carney said. "We're the good people who've gotten caught in the middle. You don't hear about the good people who are getting screwed in all of this."

While you have to have sympathy for the landlord, the simple fact is if the allegations are true, the children suffered far worse than the landlord, and obviously, the focus of this should be on righting wrongs. The article also features the continued efforts by the attorney for Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church leaders Rev. Raymond Lambert, Patricia Lambert, Paul Epling, and Tom Epling to cast the blame on younger brother Ethan Epling:

<;blockquote>According to Evenson, Ethan Epling had moved to Florida with one of the women who is now one of Raymond Lambert's accusers.

Evenson said Ethan Epling left Robin Epling, who is disabled, behind in Missouri. Robin Epling is paralyzed from a stroke she suffered in childbirth a few years ago.

With Ethan Epling in Florida, Patty and Raymond Lambert assumed the care of Robin Epling in Missouri, Evenson said.

"When Ethan took off, and his paralyzed wife didn't know where he was, Raymond and Patty took care of her around the clock," Evenson said. "It takes good people to do that."

In May, Ethan Epling and Robin Epling's parents petitioned for her guardianship in McDonald County Circuit Court.

Then Robin Epling suddenly decided to reconcile with her estranged husband and she moved to Florida, Evenson said. Court records show Robin Epling withdrew her divorce petition in late June.

Attempts to contact Ethan Epling by phone for this article were unsuccessful.

"I feel like Ethan Epling is at the core of all this, and that there's an element of financial motivation," Evenson said, declining to elaborate further. </blockquote>

Former Mac County pastor who was accused of involvement in sex cult in 2006, charged with raping 10-year-old

A former McDonald County pastor who was alleged to be the ringleader of a McDonald County sex cult in 2006, has been charged with the rape of a 10-year-old girl in the summer of 2013.

McDonald County officials say the rape was reported in August.

Raymond Lambert II, 67, Washburn, was arrested Wednesday by the Missouri State Highway Patrol earlier this week. Bond has been set at $5,000 cash only.

(Photo- Raymond Lambert, front, is shown during a court hearing in 2006.)

Felony charges in the earlier case against Lambert were filed in 2006, dismissed according to the McDonald County prosecuting attorney due to witnesses being reluctant to testify, though an attorney for the witnesses said that was not the case.

A McDonald County grand jury indicted Lambert in February 2008, charging him with four counts of child molestation, three counts of statutory sodomy and one count of child abuse in connection with ritual sex abuse of children.

Janice Durbin, who was McDonald County prosecuting attorney at the time, dismissed charges against Lambert June 10, 2008, again citing reluctance of witnesses. 

At the time the charges were filed against him, Lambert was minister of the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church. Lambert and the church were located in what media described as a "compound" in rural McDonald County. Approximately 100 attended the church, which was termed a "cult" at that time and was not connected to any official Baptist organization.

***

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McDonald County church members plead not guilty to sex charges

Four members of the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church in Washburn, including the pastor and his wife, entered not guilty pleas in McDonald County Circuit Court today to sex charges purportedly connected to church rituals.
Preliminary hearings for the four, Rev. Raymond Lambert, his wife and stepsister, Patty, and her brothers (and his stepbrothers) Paul Epling and Tom Epling will be held 1 p.m. Oct. 2, according to court records.
The four were allowed to turn themselves in today, six days after charges were filed by McDonald County Prosecuting Attorney Steve Geeding, and posted percentage bonds, court records indicate. Bond had been set at $50,000 apiece for Lambert and the Eplings and $30,000 for Mrs. Lambert.
Lambert, 51, 589 Cecil Epling Lane, Washburn, was charged with one count of first degree child molestation, four counts of second degree child molestation and three counts of second degree statutory sodomy. One child molestation and one statutory sodomy charge are from 1995, the first degree child molestation from 2000 with two more charges from 2001, one from 2002 and two from 2004.
Mrs. Lambert, 49, faces two charges, both stemming from April 3, 2004- child molestation in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child in a ritual/ceremony.
Paul Epling, 53, 362 Cecil Epling Way, Washburn, faces seven charges, none more recent than 1983, according to the court documents. He was charged with first degree statutory rape, sexual intercourse with a person less than 14 years old, which allegedly took place Nov. 7, 1978; statutory sodomy, first degree, deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 14 years old, July 15, 1978; followed by the same charge for offenses that allegedly took place on the same day each of the following four years. On the fifth year, on the same date, July 15, 1983, Epling allegedly committed first degree statutory rape.
Tom Epling, 51, 584 Cecil Epling Way, Washburn, faces five counts of first degree statutory sodomy, all taking place on July 15, beginning with 1978, then occurring in each succeeding year through 1982.
The area in which they live, Cecil Epling Way, is named after Tom Epling, Paul Epling, and Patricia Lambert's father, and Raymond Lambert's stepfather, Cecil Epling, who died several years ago. Mr. Epling was reputed to be a leader with a cultlike following which has reportedly stayed together in the Washburn area even after his death, in what has been described as "a compound" by nearby residents who spoke to the Neosho Daily News last week.

KODE: Lamberts, Eplings nowhere to be found

KODE continued its domination of the McDonald County church sex cult today, breaking the news that county deputies went to the compound at Cecil Epling Way to remove any leftover children and found no trace of the four church leaders, Rev. Raymond Lambert, 51, his wife, Patricia Lambert, 49, and her brothers (and his stepbrothers) Paul Epling, 53, and Tom Epling, 51.
The latest installment in Tara Brown's continuing investigation of this church and its sister church near Granby in Newton County, included the revelation that McDonald County Judge John LePage not only placed no limitations on the church leaders' travel while they are out on bond on numerous counts of having ritual sex with children, but he did not place any conditions that would require them to stay away from children while they await trial.
The latest chapter also included another interview with a former member of Lambert's Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church, who spoke of Lambert not being shy about sexual activities with church youth.
Rounding out the story was the information that George Otis Johnston, 63, pastor of the Grandview Valley Baptist Church North, turned himself in to McDonald County authorities on a charge of child molestation. Johnston, who is Lambert's uncle, also faces eight felony counts of statutory sodomy in Newton County.
(Pictured: Raymond Lambert is seated. His wife, Patty, stands behind him. Photo provided by Tara Brown, KODE)

Lambert, alleged victims speak to NPR Morning Edition

National Public Radio's Morning Edition landed the first interview with Rev. Raymond Lambert, who is accused of eight felony sex crimes in connection with his role as minister of the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church.
While Lambert's attorneys did not allow him to talk about the specifics of the case, which is scheduled to come to trial early next year in McDonald County Circuit Court (unless the defense request for a change of venue is granted), he did talk about the effect the charges have had on him:

"It's been tough on everyone, but I believe we're going to make it," Lambert said. "My vision of what our farm would be -- a school, a farm -- in a moment of a few days, and seemingly a few hours, it all changed."

The interview offers more insight into the operation of the church, including allegations that women are not allowed to read the Bible:

One accuser, who fears reprisals for speaking out, tells NPR she left the community in April. Since then, she no longer attends church because she finds it hard to trust any religious figure. She doesn't want to be identified by name. She alleges her sexual relationship with pastor Raymond Lambert started when she was 15. Another woman who left is Charyn Epling. She says she wasn't encouraged to read the Bible in this community because it was preached to her that only men of God read it. Charyn Epling is now reading the Bible. The first thing she learned, she says, is that "nowhere in the Bible does it state that you can touch a child. Nowhere. You cannot sexually touch a child, and that's basically what this is all about."

Nov. 13 trial date set in McDonald County cult case

A Nov. 13 trial date has been scheduled in McDonald County Circuit Court for Raymond Lambert, pastor of the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church and his wife, Patty. Raymond Lambert is charged with four counts of child molestation and four counts of statutory sodomy in connection with what authorities describe as ritual sex acts with children.
Mrs. Lambert faces one charge statutory sodomy.
A pre-trial conference is scheduled for Sept. 18, according to court records.
Mrs. Lambert's brother (and Lambert's stepbrother) Paul Epling has an Aug. 27 trial date set on a charge of rape, while Laura Epling, the wife of Paul Epling's brother Tom, is scheduled to stand trial Oct. 9 on a statutory sodomy charge.

Considerable background on these cases can be found in the Dec. 14 Turner Report and the Dec. 15 Turner Report.

Charges refiled against pastor in McDonald County sex cult case

Prosecuting Attorney Janice Durbin refiled sex charges against Grand Valley Independent
Baptist Church pastor Raymond Lambert today in McDonald County Circuit Court.
Lambert, 52, Washburn, was charged with four counts of child molestation, two counts of statutory sodomy and one count of sexual abuse. The charges are in connection with the ritual abuse of children.
Charges have not been refiled against Lambert's wife (and stepsister) Patricia Lambert, or their sister-in-law Laura Epling. The charges against the three were dropped last month, one week before the Lamberts' trial was scheduled to begin. The Lamberts' lawyer, Robert Evenson, said charges were dismissed because the state's witnesses refused to cooperate, but the attorney for the witnesses told various news sources that was not the case.

(Pictured: Raymond Lambert, left, talks with a supporter. Photo provided by Tara Brown)

Ms. Durbin told Associated Press Nov. 30 that she would likely refile charges against the church leaders. That word came after the administration of her office came under heavy criticism from State Rep. Marilyn Ruestman, R-Joplin, whose district includes that portion of McDonald County, and county law enforcement officials.

Attorney in McDonald County sex cult case asks to question potential jurors individually

Robert Evenson, the attorney for Raymond Lambert, pastor of the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church, is asking to question potential jurors individually when Lambert's trial on sex charges begins Nov. 13 in McDonald County Circuit Court.
Lambert and his wife, Patricia, are charged in connection with alleged ritual sex involving children.
Evenson filed the motion Thursday.
Raymond Lambert is charged with four counts of child molestation and four counts of statutory sodomy in connection with what authorities describe as ritual sex acts with children.
Mrs. Lambert faces one charge of statutory sodomy.

Neosho Daily blows away Globe in coverage of cult sex charges

It never would have happened if the Globe hadn't let John Hacker slip through its fingers.
During his last months at the Globe, Hacker, who has always had a reputation as the hardest working reporter in the area, had made deep in-roads in his coverage of McDonald County. If he had still been at the Globe, undoubtedly the Globe would have been all over the filing of sex charges against Rev. Raymond Lambert, his wife and her brothers (Lambert's stepbrothers) in connection with the cult-like Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church.
The story was first broken in The Turner Report, but the first in-depth coverage was offered by John Ford of the Neosho Daily News. As far as I can tell, the Globe has still had not had any coverage of the filing of charges. (Lambert and the others have still not been arrested. According to the Daily's coverage, they are scheduled to turn themselves in Monday.)
Let's take a look at this case:
-We have charges of child molestation filed against four top officials in an area church.
-Some of these charges date back to the 1970s, meaning that if if they turn out to be true, this is something that has been going on for a long time.
-We have McDonald County Prosecuting Attorney Steve Geeding allowing accused child molesters to decide when they are going to turn themselves in. Is this the regular practice in McDonald County?
-We have numerous references to a "compound" where the Lamberts and Eplings lived and stories have circulated for years about the cult-like influence of the late Cecil Epling, the father of three of those charged, Paul Epling, Tom Epling and Patricia Lambert, and the stepfather of Rev. Raymond Lambert.

This is the kind of a story that the biggest newspaper in this area should have been all over, but it has been strangely silent. Fortunately, I have no doubt McDonald County residents will be well served by John Ford's continuing coverage in the Neosho Daily News.

Felony sex charges filed against members of McDonald County religious sect

Sex crimes, some dating back nearly three decades, others as recent as 2004, were alleged by McDonald County Prosecuting Attorney Steve Geeding in charges filed today in McDonald County Circuit Court.
Rev. Raymond Lambert, his wife Patricia, and her brothers (and his stepbrothers) Paul Epling and Tom Epling were charged, according to court records on file at case.net.
Lambert, 51, 589 Cecil Epling Lane, Washburn, was charged with one count of first degree child molestation, four counts of second degree child molestation and three counts of second degree statutory sodomy. One child molestation and one statutory sodomy charge are from 1995, the first degree child molestation from 2000 with two more charges from 2001, one from 2002 and two from 2004.
Mrs. Lambert, 49, faces two charges, both stemming from April 3, 2004- child molestation in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child in a ritual/ceremony.
Paul Epling, 53, 362 Cecil Epling Way, Washburn, faces seven charges, none more recent than 1983, according to the court documents. He was charged with first degree statutory rape, sexual intercourse with a person less than 14 years old, which allegedly took place Nov. 7, 1978; statutory sodomy, first degree, deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 14 years old, July 15, 1978; followed by the same charge for offenses that allegedly took place on the same day each of the following four years. On the fifth year, on the same date, July 15, 1983, Epling allegedly committed first degree statutory rape.
Tom Epling, 51, 584 Cecil Epling Way, Washburn, faces five counts of first degree statutory sodomy, all taking place on July 15, beginning with 1978, then occurring in each succeeding year through 1982.
The area in which they live, Cecil Epling Way, is named after Tom Epling, Paul Epling, and Patricia Lambert's father, and Raymond Lambert's stepfather, Cecil Epling, who died several years ago. Mr. Epling was reputed to be a leader with a cultlike following which has reportedly stayed together in the Washburn area even after his death.

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Charges against alleged McDonald County sex cult leader include underage boys and girls, date back to 1995

In a filing Wednesday in McDonald County Circuit Court, Prosecuting Attorney Maleia Cheney asked that felony sex charges against former Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church pastor Raymond Lambert be combined into one case.

The cases against Lambert, 68, all involve sex with underage children with some dating back as far as 1995.

If Judge John LePage grants the motion, the following cases would be combined:

-Rape- Lambert allegedly forced a 10-year-old girl to have sex with him in a shed in the summer of 2013 after pushing her against the wall and grabbing her hair.

-Statutory sodomy- According to the complaint, between 2002 and 2004, Lambert reached into the pants of an underage boy and performed a sex act

-Statutory sodomy- Lambert allegedly compelled an underage girl to perform an oral sex act on him while he touched her genitalia between 2002 and 2004

-Statutory sodomy- The complaint says Lambert committed the same crime mentioned in the previous paragraph with the girl on another occasion between 2002 and 2004.

-Statutory sodomy- Lambert committed the same crime with a different underage girl in 1995, according to the complaint.

More information about the cases against Lambert and about the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church can be found at the link below:

The Turner Report: Attorney General's office to assist in prosecution of alleged McDonald County sex cult leader (rturner229.blogspot.com)

Grand jury indictments issued on McDonald County sex cult case

A McDonald County grand jury handed down indictments Friday against Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church pastor Raymond Lambert Tuesday.
The charges are the same ones filed against Lambert Dec. 3 in McDonald County Circuit Court, but this will enable the process to bypass a preliminary hearing and go directly to the trial court, according to the article in today's Joplin Globe:

Prosecutor Janice Durbin said the grand jury on Friday handed down four counts of second-degree child molestation, three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy and one count of sexual abuse against Raymond Lambert, 52, pastor of Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church. Lambert is accused of sexually abusing two teenage girls several times between February 1995 and April 2004, according to court documents.