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Two men who were facing felony charges for allegedly abusing students at a private Christian boarding school in southwest Missouri have pled guilty to misdemeanors, and the case against a third man was withdrawn. The cases seen during the preliminary hearing include charges against Scott Dumar, Everett Graves, and Chris McElroy stated by Kansas City Star.

  • Medical coordinator at Agape Boarding School Scott Dumar, plead guilty to two misdemeanors and was given a two-year probation sentence.
  • Graves pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge.
  • Chris McElroy had his case dropped after the victim did not show up at the preliminary hearing for his charges.

They were three of the five staff members charged with misdemeanors in September 2021 following an investigation into allegations of pervasive mistreatment at the school by past and present children. Trent Hartman, a fourth defendant, has been handed over for prosecution on two third-degree assault felony counts. Seth Duncan, the fifth staffer, will have his preliminary hearing next week.

In order to protect the welfare of 36 children, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office has suggested bringing charges against 22 staff members on a total of 65 counts. However, just the five employees were accused by Cedar County Prosecutor Ty Gaither.

A new Missouri legislation that requires background checks for personnel, basic health and safety standards for boarding schools, sufficient nutritious meals, clothing, and medical care for children was passed last year as a response of allegations of abuse at Agape and Circle of Hope, a neighboring Christian boarding school for girls.

A 2020 investigation led to the closure of Circle of Hope in Humansville, and the married co-founders are now facing 99 charges, including sex offenses and child abuse and neglect.

Legal Recourse For Boarding School Abuse Survivors

Legal options are available for those who suffered sexual assault in a boarding school. Most abuse reports contain information about the actual offender. They can be a different student, a staff member at the facility, or a teacher. Many of these reports do, however, explicitly name the boarding institutions where the abuse occurred. Working with a group of lawyers on your sexual violence case will not only help stop additional abuse or sexual crimes but also make sure that the person who is allegedly responsible for the victim’s claimed acts is held accountable.

For more information, get in touch with Abuse Guardians’ skilled team of sexual abuse attorneys to support the rights of children who have been subjected to physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. For more information on resources available for sexual abuse survivors, visit this page: https://abuseguardian.com/sexual-assault-lawyer/missouri/sex-trauma-therapist-mo

Sources:

https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/2-plead-to-misdemeanors-in-Missouri-boarding-17643725.php

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