At the minimum, Newman will spend at least five years in state prison before becoming eligible for parole, and must register as a sex offender if and when he is released. The actual length of his sentence — and whether each count will carry a concurrent or consecutive jail term — will depend on Circuit Judge Mark Orr.
“There’s no agreement as to what the sentence can be,” Merrell said.
The prosecutor said Friday he couldn’t say what sentence he would ask for at the hearing, but wants “to be able to present some evidence to the judge at sentencing to show what an appropriate sentence would be.”
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Newman will receive at least five years in prison
At the minimum, Pete Newman, the former Kanakuk Kamp director who pleaded guilty Thursday to sex charges, will receive five years in prison...and it could be much more:
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39 comments:
Max: 171 years. Pretty serious crimes against children.
To have destroyed so much innocence, and to have caused so much pain and confusion, and to have probably destroyed a reputable ministry of 80 years, and to have cast so much doubt onto so many fine Christian men, and to have destroyed his baby girl, wife, mom, dad, 3 brothers, their wives, and kids, to have jerked the rugs out from under 1000s of little kids now questioning the very foundations of their faith, to have financially wiped out people he loves, to have caused such a backlash from ignorant people casting judgement on the very victims themselves...............WHAT DO YOU THINK HIS SENTENCE SHOULD BE?????????
5, 10, 20, 30, 50 years????????????
NO SENTENCE WOULD BE ENOUGH!!!!!!
THIS GUY NEEDS TO ROT IN A CAGE!
I agree, Pete has done untold damage to many!! If MO does not go for a very serious sentence. I hope CO does and I hope many other State file. The word is out he has victims all over the country and internationally.
For what he's done to his daughter alone, his sentence should be life. Afterall, her's is.
As a former Kanakuk Kamper under Pete for 2 years at K-Kountry (now in college), I have something to say. While Pete indeed is troubled, having used the trust us guys put in him to do the acts that he did, aren't we, as Christians, supposed to feel pity for not only the family, but for HIM, a slave to his own sin? Aren't we supposed to surround him with support to help him heal, rather than throw more curses at him as the world is? I love the fact that we tend to put sin on different levels, and also act as if we've never done anything wrong when commenting on these stories. But truly, as a Christian man, I must ask you all what Jesus would do in this situation? How would he act? No doubt that Pete deserves jail, but wasn't Jesus the one to forgive the adulterer when the pharisees called for her stoning? Wasn't he the one who died so that all might live? I pray for Pete's family, but I also pray for Pete, because while his acts are Monstrous, he too is human, and as a fellow human, I know that I'm capable of such things too - it's simply by God's grace that I don't act upon them. I pray for Pete, and truly believe and hope that God can use him, even in Jail, to impact the broken lives of the other men in there, and push them more towards the loving God of forgiveness that I know. I pray for the family involved (God knows so many of the guys I knew at camp that had this done to them need help), I pray for Pete's family (the healing process will be a very long road), but I also pray for Pete. I believe he knows what he is, and hope that he repents of it and turns over his life of slavery to these cravings and becomes a true, all-out slave to God. This is my prayer, and I hope it can be for you too.
this is for anyone trying to say that God sees this sin committed by Pete as a sin that is the same as other sins. Just read Mark 9:42
"And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea."
Right out of the horses mouth!
To 12:46 - yes, the Bible does say that, but why do you think that is? Could it maybe be because God knew the pain and suffering that would be incurred on both sides should something happen? It would be better that you died than for you to do this is what he's saying! Jesus also said it'd be better for you to pluck out your eye or cut off your hand rather than use them to sin. How come we don't do that today, hmmm?
Maybe it's because Jesus was getting at something bigger than physical sin itself.
Maybe it's because Jesus knew that these sins would cause our souls far more pain than would happen if we were to do these physical acts to our own fleshly bodies.
Regardless, do you think Jesus meant that by saying that, he wanted us to chastise all who are guilty of this sin? Should a man caught in lust has his eyes plucked out? Because I'm pretty sure, as an American male, both of my eyes would be long gone by now.
I believe Jesus said this not so much as a punishment, but as a warning to the pain and suffering of all those involved and surrounding it.
And he was right.
My plea to all those on here: Can we just stop being like the pharisees? Can we just stop judging and pointing fingers and damning anything and everything that's not perfect? We all have our faults and failures. We all have things that we are slaves to, whether it is money, sex, power, etc (God read Tim Keller's "Counterfeit Gods" if you disagree with me).
Jesus did not come to save the perfect. He came to save the sinners of the world. The downtrodden. Those who are not "good enough." Those who are slaves to their own flesh. He came to save the Pete Newman's of the world, and I whole-heartedly believe he will and does if Pete is truly repentant.
My prayers and still with him and all those surrounding this case.
We ALL are going to have to find forgiveness in our hearts...for many reasons, including our healing.
But friends, if you are on the "outside" of this, be very careful not to come off sounding self-righteous when you tell those of us on the "inside" how we should begin to heal. You have no idea. And with all due respect, if you are a Pete-supporter, you REALLY have no idea, b/c you are just blinded....like we all once were.
I can't speak for all victims, b/c I don't know them all, but for many, we INTEND to fully forgive....in time. But, it is perfectly natural for us to be working through the various stages of grief, hurt, and loss that we have suffered and will continue to suffer. Working through all that doesn't mean we will not forgive when we can, through God's grace. Nor does it mean we should not expect the laws of our land to impose the full penalty for his crimes.
All of this is in God's capable Hands. We trust Him with all of this, no matter what. He is faithful. He knows our pain. He sees the big picture. And the vengence is His.
If he ever gets out of prison on the Missouri charges, will he then be taken to Colorado to serve that time? And then to every other state who is pressing charges?
Can anyone with legal expertise elaborate on how that will work?
Also, they say he's facing 5-171 years here in MO. Well, what do we expect Judge Mark Orr to give?
Thank you for your response.
To 5:46. There are no accurate answers to the questions you are asking. Anything said would just be a guess. The judge will determine the sentence and even the prosecution cannot guess as to what it will be. Nothing will happen in Colorado now, until sentencing is done in MO., and then they may or may not go forward. You simply need to be patient, because nothing more will be known (at least until sentencing in April). This is what I have been told by the good folks at the Taney County prosecutors office.
to the poster @ 5:39
Thank you for your thoughtful words...my son is a victim and we feel exactly as you so carefully wrote. We will forgive as God leads us through this lifetime journey. Thank you also for your insightful comments regarding flip comments from those on the "outside" of this tragedy. Posters need to carefully choose their words so as to not heap more pain on those impacted.
It is my prayer that Pete will find Grace and forgiveness through his heavenly father. I pray he truly repents and asks forgiveness and changes his life to live for the Lord. But only God will know his heart.
Does God's forgiveness mean that we can simply sin and confess, then sin and confess more? Not without consequence. I can drive a nail into wood, and you can pull it out—but the hole remains. Obedience refused can never be regained. Reward for faithfulness is lost forever. God forgives, but the pain of our sin still hurts.
King David had an affair with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. She became pregnant. To cover his sin, eventually he had Uriah killed and took his widow as his own wife. But God knew what he had done. And David's story would never be the same.
In this one event the king broke nine of God's Ten Commandments. He violated in order the tenth by coveting his neighbor's wife; the seventh by committing adultery; the eighth by stealing her for himself; the sixth by murdering her husband; the ninth by lying about his sin; the fifth by dishonoring his parents; the second by making an idol of Bathsheba; and the first and third by shaming God and his name. At least he didn't break the Sabbath, so far as we know.
Why did a "man after God's own heart" do this? Why do we sin? How do we defeat temptation? What do we do when we don't?
Expect to be tempted When Jesus defeated Satan's attacks, the enemy "left him until an opportune time" (Luke 4:13). If our Lord faced temptation, so will we. The devil is very real, and he hates you. You are his enemy. Jesus warned us that the devil is a "murderer from the beginning," and "a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44). He is a "roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). He tempts and deceives every one of us.
Here's why: "after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death" (James 1:15). Mark it down: sin always takes you further than you wanted to go, keeps you longer than you wanted to stay, and costs you more than you wanted to pay. Always.
I
I John 1:6,8 "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie...If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
I John 2:3 "By this we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."
I John 2:10 "He that loves his brother abides in the light."
It is so easy to quote a bible verse, that helps you make sense of all of this, but please understand that there are many bible verses that could help support all sides of this case. John 3:16 helps me greatly. What do some of you consider it means to be Reborn? IF we can be reborn, why can't Pete?
Pete certainly CAN be reborn...and I pray that he will during his imprisonment. He needs redemption and forgiveness. I am just trying to find some way to reconcile what he did to my son and so many others. The only explanation that makes sense biblically and logically is that a TRUE believer could not have done these heinous crimes to children he professed to love and mentor. I know there are many who don't agree and that's fine, but to walk in premeditated, habitual, willful sin for over a decade does not give evidence that the holy spirit guided his life...scripture is the only solace many of us have right now so please try to understand that we are just trying to process the whole thing. Truth is truth, so even Pete's sin could not change that! I am grateful that many came to know Christ through that truth. I pray for him that he can truly be reconciled to Christ and I pray that he does repent and seek forgiveness and FINALLY find freedom. Just realize we are only trying to walk this journey that we find ourselves in.
This theological conversation is fascinating. However, I am just not sure if it is helpful. In my mind I have never seen such a polarization in one person. On the one hand Pete accomplished so much good. Many many peoples lives have been impacted for the good. It would seem that this gives evidence to some form of presence of the spirit in his life. On the other hand we see grave and unspeakable evil. In our heads we want to try simplify it all. Did the bad cancel out the good? Was he ever saved? We need a verse or passage to give us answers to make sense of it all. Especially since we live in an era where the answer to almost any question can be found on Google.
In the middle of this are the victims and their loved ones. I assume that that platitudes and simple answers don't do much good right now. But because of the internet we now have a voice into their lives in ways the world has never seen. The victims and family members read this blog and watch us struggle with their issues. I am just not sure if all of the answers that are being provided are all that helpful, regardless of their accuracy.
So I dont care whether Pete is, was, or will be saved. That's Gods job I think. What I want to know is, what is helpful to the victims and the family members of victims? I have read some posts from parents of victims but most of them are reacting to something someone has said that is offensive, and rightfully so. So lets put this in a more positive and proactive state.
I am a mom of a victim. In answer to your question, here is what is helpful. Please pray for EVERYONE involved. The boys need to get past the shame and isolation they feel and learn to trust again, both their Savior and other Christians (especially those in youth pastor/mentor roles.) Secondly we need time to forgive and work through our grief on everything that has been lost--our child's innocence, trust, the joy of being a kid, our privacy. We need courage to confront our fears, hopes, and dreams for our son's future. Each family deals with all of this very personally, but we trust and believe that God will be glorified through this tragedy and our boys will be stronger in every way. It does help to try and process why/how Pete could have done what he did...but the truth is we may never know or understand. Eventually we will have to be ok with that. It would help me knowing that the body of Christ will face this together and not pick sides. It would help me knowing that Pete's family is supported and prayed for as well. I know this is a scattered response and not every parent feels the same way, but thanks for asking.
What I have learned on a deeper level is that there is One and only One who we can fully place our trust in...One whom we can feel safe with...One whom we can place our full weight on...and that is Jesus Christ alone.
When things like this happen, it's a painful reminder of that truth that we should be looking only to Him in the first place. HE is our mentor. HE is our trusted friend. HE will never fail us. Period.
That is a comfort to me moving forward after this.
Yes, I'd love to have some answers to my many questions, but I will just have to come to peace with the fact that those may not come until we're in heaven.
Until then, I'm praying for everyone involved...both sides. I'm working on forgiving not only Pete; but also forgiving those who left the open doors and unaccountability which provided the perfect setting for these boys' abuse. That one is equally as hard as forgiving Pete. But I'm working on it.
Something that would be helpful for victims and their parents would be very simple for Kanakuk to offer. It would be so helpful to bring us all together and offer support by just being together, in person, sharing our stories, realizing that others feel and share our pain. See how some are coping differently than others. Offer some worship and fellowship together as we move forward. THAT WOULD BE HUGE FOR KANAKUK TO DO!
I'm happy the victims and their families will not need to endure a trial. This is of utmost importance. I will admit, however, I am disappointed we will not learn whether or not camp management was guilty of ignoring warning signs. This information would have helped families deciding whether to send children to camp in the future.
You may not get your answers about what signs kamp did or did not miss, but one thing you can bet your life on.....Kamp will NOW be one of the safest places you can send your children.
If you can't see that,I understand, and you probably shouldn't send them, but it will be your loss.
The following commenter is right on:
"I always knew Pete was a pervert and had alterior motives...even at age 12 and 13 I just knew he was a bad person. I'm from Auburn, Al and grew up in the AUMC youth group all of jr high and high school. I knew Pete very well. I used to tell my Mom and older sister that he gave me a weird feeling and that there was something not right about the way he hugged and touched the boys in his D-group and youth group. He often got reprimanded for breaking the rules by having his D-group boys spend the night with him at the FIJI house or his apartment but he continued to do it and acted like the rules didn't apply to him. He was so pompass and full of himself and thought all of his duck tape man and Bubba skits were just the coolest thing ever. I could never stand him....I saw evil in him and I was right! This is all very disturbing. I wonder how many of my friends, peers he molested, sodomized or pulled his little. " its ok to masturbate and read the bible together" trick on???? I'm positive there are Auburn boys out there that are too ashamed to speak out. It breaks my heart to think about how many lives he has ruined. He has broken so many hearts but most importantly he has broken God's heart and tarnished the name of Kanakuk and Christianity. I wish that the death penalty could be sought for him...I honestly do. Hell will not be hot enough for Pete Newman!
9:43 AM"
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE THAT 3 BROTHERS (1 BEING A TWIN!), 3 SISTER IN LAWS, MOM, DAD, AND WIFE NEVER SAW A SINGLE RED FLAG. Don't believe it.
5-171 years???
Why is there such a broad possiblity? Doesn't make sense.
Also, what is expected?
Can a pedophile of this magnitude get away with only serving a few years??? REALLY????
The broad range comes from the possibility that the judge could make the punishment for each of the eight felonies run concurrently (at the same time) or consecutively (one after the other). Each enticement charge as a minimum of 5 years-max of 30. So there is a huge span of years the judge could hand out...hope that helps.
Okay, got it. BUT, I've looked up the minimum sentence for 1ST DEGREE SODOMY, which he plead guilty to, and that minimum sentence is 10 years in this state. SO, ?????? Why is it not 10-171 yrs????
Additionally, what's the likelihood that he'd receive the MINIMUM and that they'd be CONCURRENT?
Anyone who's been close to him, from family to Kankuk leadership, needs to be investigated.
Did they look the other way?
Did they provide opportunity?
Did they cover up prior inproprieties?
Did they suspect something, but failed to report?
Did they fail to enforce rules?
And worse, WHAT ARE THEY COVERING UP NOW???
I think there is maybe a little confusion concerning the minimum number...initially the families were told a minimum of 10 years. I plan to clarify that with the prosecutor's office myself. The judge will have to make a decision based on impact statements from victims and their families and also expert testimony about the likelihood of reoffending after prison. It is anyone's guess what the judge will do. If he wants to be re-elected he will hand down more than just the minimum concurrent sentence. We need to pray for wisdom for the judge to do what is right and in the best interest of society as well as justice for the victims.
If he wants to be re-elected, he should hand down a life sentence.
Our community is so outraged by what this demon has done that all eyes will be on this sentence. I would say that the future of this judge will rest on whether or not he gives this criminal his justified penalty or not.
Not only would no one around here vote for him again this year if he lets Mr. Newman off with only 30-40 years, but the National spotlight would be on him as Bill O'Reilly and others drag him through the mud for being soft on a serial pedophile.
to 4:22AM:
In a situation like this I feel that those that are/were closest to him would have had the hardest time seeing it.
5:52, OR just turned a blind eye b/c to bring up an accusation so wicked would have shattered their world.
He KNEW HE COULD CONTINUE TO GET AWAY WITH THIS B/C NO ONE WAS ASKING A THING OR REQUIRING A THING.
Shame on those who were close to him or "over" him. SHAME ON THEM. THEY HAVE BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6:55
His parents and family had known him since birth. They never had to "meet" him or judge a first impression from him. Pete is just part of the family, for better or worse, so I doubt they were looking for warning signs.
However, the Kanukuk staff and the parents of the victims met him for the first time while he was in the phase of his life where he was doing these horrible things. They did get to judge the guy before they either hired him, promoted him, or let him spend time with their son outside of camp. Those are the people who would/should have been looking for and noticing warning signs.
If your trying blame his family for not seeing the warnings signs, you're barking up the wrong tree.
Blaming ANYONE at this juncture is completely POINTLESS! As a parent of a victim I don't need anyone heaping any more guilt than I already experience over this. But that's my deal to work through...We must each ask what our role (if any) is at this point in the process. Ask yourself what good it does to keep asking the same questions that we will never know the answers to. If they are relevant to the criminal process...fine...but PLEASE stop ripping people up on here...THERE HAS BEEN ENOUGH PAIN ALREADY. Be a part of the healing and if not just STOP!
3:03, as another parent, you are right. Please people, let's all help each other here. We need each other's wisdom to heal.
We wouldn't be so frustrated if those "in authority" over him were not hiding and cowering right now.
I just found this on a previous post, and this is a very good argument for any "expert" who wants to claim that Pete's "sickness" prevented him from making responsible choices:
"God can be merciful to him if he becomes broken. But God and God alone will only know for sure.
As responsible citizens, it is our responsibility to society and to our own children to be sure we protect them from people like Pete Newman. He is NOT a safe person, nor ever will be. He can not be rehabilitated. Read the research.
Aside from being a perverted pedophile, this guy is a deceptive, pathological, lying sociopath. That's dangerous. Society needs to be protected from him. He should never be trusted again. God, ALONE, needs to deal with him...behind bars.
Anyone who would knowingly risk losing his family, child, freedom, reputation, job, relationships, security, future, NOT TO MENTION knowingly harm these NUMEROUS INNOCENT CHILDREN in this sick way....Well, this person has a deep hard-wired evil that can not be reversed. You don't risk all that to get your jollies unless you are deeply disturbed and evil. Obviously, those things don't mean to him what they mean to normal people. They're just not valuable to him, or he would never have done them.
If ANY "expert" wants to try and argue that he is sick and couldn't help himself, well think about this:
He didn't do it when people were looking.
He didn't do it on stage.
He didn't do it to boys with their parents in the room.
He didn't do it with Katie watching.
He didn't invite Joe White to his molesting sessions.
What I am saying is that he CONTROLLED HIMSELF WHEN HE HAD TO....
THerefore, he COULD HELP HIMSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
to 6:29. You state you are frustrated that those "in authority" over Pete are hiding and cowering. What excactly do you want? How do you know this to be true? Kanakuk has worked with authorities. They have called victims. They have helped Jeff Merril and the prosecutors office fully. Represetatives from kamp have been at every hearing. They have an 86 year history of being one of the best christian/athletic kamps around. This one situation isn't and shouldn't shut them down. They have handled this EXACTLY as this victim's family would have hoped for. How sad that you can't blame the one and only one person at fault here...Pete.
How 'bout Joe? Where is he when these hearings take place. Has Pete ever had to know he was in the courtroom? Has Joe done any more than call a few victims and try to put out a few fires?
What about Joe addressing these accusations of prior cover-ups? He's not b/c he can't deny it.
If you don't realize that much has been and is being swept under the carpet, then you are not living in reality.
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