Author Topic: Bethel Boys Academy, Lucedale, MS.  (Read 47028 times)

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Offline Anonymous

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Bethel Boys Academy, Lucedale, MS.
« Reply #15 on: February 20, 2004, 07:03:00 PM »
I was the anonymous poster that attacked wachuduen (who I think is Cheryle, maybe) a few months ago. I was gung ho Bethel, gung ho Fountain.

Guess what, wachuduen, whoever she is, was and is right about Bethel. I had my eyes opened wide. It was not pretty!

I want to come forward and apologize for whatever I said to defame her.

She is on track, and really is not being as hard on Herman as he deserves.
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Offline Watchaduen

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Bethel Boys Academy, Lucedale, MS.
« Reply #16 on: February 20, 2004, 08:55:00 PM »
Thanks, I appreciate it.  But I knew all along I wasn't barking up the wrong tree concerning Bethel.  Too many victims have come forward - complete with medical documentation.  The victims go back to the day the place started up many years ago.  I now even have former employees who have plenty to say about what goes on behind closed doors.  This is even after their new backdoor deal with the State of MS.  Nothing has changed and Herman is still running the place. Bethel WILL be shut down forever.  Mark my words.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
heryle - My son was TORTURED and ABUSED at Bethel Boys Academy aka Eagle Point Christian Academy, aka Pine View Academy, Lucedale, MS.

Offline Anonymous

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Bethel Boys Academy, Lucedale, MS.
« Reply #17 on: February 22, 2004, 10:18:00 PM »
There is yet another place where you can post information. This site is not a forum, but is a submit for post.

This guy is apparently trying to remain suit proof and has stringent guidelines for posting.

However, if people will work with him, looks like he wants to build a site where a lot of this factual evidence can be deposited for great reading to discourage more parents out of Bethel

http://www.freewebs.com/bethel-truth

I really believe this guy is sincere, secretive, but sincere.

Check it out!
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Offline cantget2me2004

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Bethel Boys Academy, Lucedale, MS.
« Reply #18 on: February 22, 2004, 11:26:00 PM »
Herman father and Herman son have flip=flopped positions.  Herman Sr. is keeping the "letter" of the agreement but not the spirit.  He is now at Bethel Girls.  surprise, surprise-- in the last couple of months there has been almost a 100% staff turnover.
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Offline Anonymous

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Bethel Boys Academy, Lucedale, MS.
« Reply #19 on: February 28, 2004, 02:42:00 PM »
Why won't the state of Mississippi actually do something? I am very concerned.
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Offline Watchaduen

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Bethel Boys Academy, Lucedale, MS.
« Reply #20 on: February 28, 2004, 05:15:00 PM »
How about massive pay-offs?  People in high places are paid to look the other way.  This has been proven with the last investigation.  Obviously I can't go into specifics as the lawsuit is building momentum.  When I rescued my son, we sat in on a meeting at the Attorney General's office.  Every department was there, Social Services, Family Services, Health Dept., etc.  Each dept. also had their own lawyer.  Yet, when it was all said and done, nothing happened.  Even when the State raided the place, it was botched to the hilt.  Only 13 boys were removed.  Yet we have victims that were there when the State came in.  Those boys were still stuck there.  Miss. has some huge problems and I am sure they thought we victims would just go away - like they have all those other years.  Well I am here to tell you - Bethel FUCKED with the wrong MOM this time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
heryle - My son was TORTURED and ABUSED at Bethel Boys Academy aka Eagle Point Christian Academy, aka Pine View Academy, Lucedale, MS.

Offline Anonymous

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Bethel Boys Academy, Lucedale, MS.
« Reply #21 on: March 19, 2004, 10:56:00 PM »
You have to understand that Herman's attorney was a former deputy DA in Miss. He (Herman's attorney) has friends in very high places since he (Herman's attorney)used to WORK FOR MIKE MOORE, the DA of Miss!

 :eek: SOOOO convienient isn't it that Herman found that attorney....is it coincidence or what???/
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Offline Anonymous

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Bethel Boys Academy, Lucedale, MS.
« Reply #22 on: March 21, 2004, 05:52:00 PM »
Everyone should read the consent decree signed by Bethel and the State of Miss. last August. It is, of course public record.

http://www.ago.state.ms.us/divisions/ch ... Decree.htm
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Offline Antigen

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Bethel Boys Academy, Lucedale, MS.
« Reply #23 on: March 22, 2004, 10:51:00 AM »
Ok, this is good. It's not bad. But don't get too, too excited. Near the end of the document, you'll fine this:


The Defendants shall comply with all applicable laws of the state of Mississippi ...


Well now! Now that the court has ordered it, now they'll surely start obeying the law, right kiddies?

If they've been breaking the laws of Mississippi, then why aren't they facing criminal prosecution and sentencing according to the laws of Mississippi?

I recall a similarly silly bit of legaleze a couple of years ago. Some congresscritters passed through (or tried, I really don't remember offhand) a law that would require lawyers working for the Atty General's office to, now get this, to abide by the laws of the states in which they were practicing. See, there had been a problem where DOJ lawyers had been flagrantly violating laws pertaining to the practice of law. Not that they didn't know it, just that they deemed themselves above the law. Do you think this new edict has changed their minds about that?

As de dawg chases his tail...

We can easily forgive a child who is afraid
of the dark. The real tragedy of life is
when men are afraid of the light.
--Plato

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"Don\'t let the past remind us of what we are not now."
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Offline Anonymous

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Bethel Boys Academy, Lucedale, MS.
« Reply #24 on: March 26, 2004, 06:25:00 PM »
Great Reply!

In my humble but seasoned opinion, I think my reasons for suggesting we read the consent decree are as follows:

1) The decree outlines the charges against Bethel. They had to be legitimate CHARGES. The state would throw out such charges if they found those charges to be trumped up, vague or not able to be proved. By virtue of the decree, all the evidence, testimony of the witnesses etc. is invalidated for future use if my understanding of double jeopardy is correct. I cannot be positive of that unless the judge executed this using a legal mumbo jumbo term known as "with prejudice". That would mean Bethel cannot be charged or tried criminally for these same accusations again.

2) Bethel had (?) a ZERO tolerance for abuse policy in affect prior to the events that prompted the decree.

3) The decree is basically a "no fault" document. The state of Miss made some greivious accusations based on something (you do not simply accuse people of such without valid evidence). But whoa, pardner, the get out of jail free card. The statement in the decree that states Bethel neither admidts to or denys the allegations. Wow! What a break! Even better, the state basically says y virtue of its actiosn and the decree itself OK, here are the charges. You (Bethel) do not have to admit or deny them. We as the state will not pursue them to acertain thier accuracy or error through the normal channels of discovery, further investigation and a trial before a jury.

As I said, it is a no fault document. The state does not act to prosecute, the alleged defendant does not have to admit or deny any wrongdoing even though there was a COMPELLING body of then current and past historical evidence that should have forced the state to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. Furthermore, the witnesses that the state could have brought forward will never get to tell thier stories. The decree muted all of them, thier stories and facts relating to whatever happened to them while in the custody of Bethel. Again, this testimony could have cleared Bethel or nailed them to the wall. That is the injustice for society and potentially a break for Bethel if they were in fact guilty.  We will simply never know.

4) The decree buys them time, gives them specific directions how to stay out of the soup that brought them to the decree signing to start with. How many other people that have such evidence brought up against them get this kind of break? I thought the law was for protection of those that abide by it and for the punishment of those who do not! And, look, even if Bethel were as clean as a little babys freshly changed behind, no one will ever have a verdict from a jury of thier peers rhat heard the evidence and ruled "guilty" or "not guilty". This is what the citizens of Lucedale, Mississippi, the parents and children that are alleged victums and society in general have been denied through this path taken with the decree settlement.

5) The extreme irony is the fact that the state basically formulated a "don't screw up again policy" in the decree where detailed requirements for actions, procedures, personnel and monitoring were spelled out in great detail for the Bethel management. I mean, this is great for Bethel. Not only did they not get shut down and all go to prison, but they got off and the state, at the state's expense, wrote them an operating framework and policy. I guarantee you an independent consultant would have charged Bethel a pretty penny for doing the work of putting the instructions together the state did in the decree. You may say there were court costs and attorney fees, well consider this, Bethel is still in operation recieving their fees for every child on campus. I would certainly pay for a lawyer and court costs if the other option was out of business and in jail for some number of years.

5) The decree is not a document that is harsh on Bethel. Some people may say "boy they really smacked them". Well. not really. This is a document that serves a purpose, but for the life of me I cannot understand what actions or relationships or whatever caused this document to come into existence to begin with. The decree is designed to appease the state and "discipline" Bethel. Yet, again, where is the "bite"? There is no fine to my knowledge. There is no jail time or probation that I know of? Where is the swift and firm hand of justice in all this? Again we have been denied the right as a society for our elected officials to pursue justice and clarity when such serious allegations are lodged against an organization or person such as Bethel was accused of.

5) The decree has a time limit on it. In August of 2006 Bethel can petition the court and have the decree annuled, as I understand it.
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Offline Watchaduen

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« Reply #25 on: March 26, 2004, 08:18:00 PM »
Just wanted to mention that none of the victims were ever consulted about that backdoor deal the State of MS. made with Bethel.  As a matter of fact all the victims (17 of them, YES 17 brutalized children) were to be back down in MS. on Aug. 26th to testify.  The Attorney General's office assured us that Bethel would be closed down.  After Bethel was shut down they would then file criminal charges.  We were told that.  Two days before court we get a call from the Head of the Integrity Div.  He informed all the victims and their families to not come and that the State had worked out yet another deal.  That isn't okay, nor is the fact that some corrupt judge decided Bethel shouldn't be held accountable to the same laws the rest of the citizens are.
  We victims have our own lawsuit now.  We will be heard.  Just because a corrupt judge made a piece of paper full of lies doesn't mean we victims should take all of our medical, physical and emotional evidence and throw it out the window.  We will prevail.
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heryle - My son was TORTURED and ABUSED at Bethel Boys Academy aka Eagle Point Christian Academy, aka Pine View Academy, Lucedale, MS.

Offline Antigen

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« Reply #26 on: March 26, 2004, 08:32:00 PM »
Thank you.

First, there's been some really decent discussion around here about the relative virtues and flaws of various shades of capitalism to socialism. I think this situation well illustrates one of the pitfalls of the more socialist policies.

Quote
They had to be legitimate CHARGES. The state would throw out such charges if they found those charges to be trumped up, vague or not able to be proved.


That's not really a hard rule of thumb. In Tulia Texas, something completely ordinary and mudane happened. The local area taskforce hired a gypsy cop to make a bunch of busts. Some local threw a monkey wrench in the works, though, when he started beating the war drums and coordinating w/ activists accross the country to set things right.

Turns out, the cop had NO credibility, no evidence, no wittnesses and had been facing criminal larceny charges in the last town he "worked". All of the convictions but one have now been overturned, Tom Coleman is facing purjory charges and there's even talk of holding some of his superiors accountable for their crimes. And these were high crimes. People lost years of their lives. In many cases, it was those years when their babies started turning into adults.

But the only thing unusual about Tulia is that a bunch of activists have stayed on the case like stink on shit over the course of years to make things right and set an example. Otherwise, this happens all the time. People go to prison for years and years on the strength of no evidence but some snitch testilying for pay of some sort.

It depends on what you're accused of and whether or not you fit the role. This, I think, owes in large part to the sheer volume of cases threatening to squash what used to be the most admirable criminal justice system in the world. It's a great system, but it depends heavily on dilligance, public scrutiny and strict adherance to the law of the land, including all those naggling limits on Federal and State powers. So the end result is that there's so much going on, so many cases, so many laws that no one has the time to keep track of it all, far less give a reasoned opinion. Nobody's watching! This leaves far too much discretion in the hands of the prosecutors.

23 yo poor Black woman accused of selling crack? Guilty. Let's get this overwith. Preacher who works w/ troubled youths? Cut him some slack! How can we make this go away so this good man can get back to his good work?

That's they way career enforcers tend to think when left to their own devices. We need to cut their workload down to something we, the people, can properly manage and supervise. They should not be left to get creative while we're not looking!

And I've seen this before. Many times. The Seed and various Straights have been given similar admonishments by various regulatory and law enforcement agencies. Ask around and people will tell you about times when motivating or beltlooping were banned or, for very brief times before a place closed or things went back to normal once the heat was off, no restraining.

I agree w/ you completely, though. The primary value of this document is that, given the current political climate toward youth and the troubled parent industry, this at least demonstrates smoke of the variety that usualy indicates fire. It's bound to get some people's attention. What they do from there is yet to be seen.

Madness takes its toll.  Please have exact change.
--Anonymous

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"Don\'t let the past remind us of what we are not now."
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Offline Anonymous

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« Reply #27 on: March 26, 2004, 10:07:00 PM »
Antigen gets it right yet again!

Bethel's boss could be percieved as a good preacher man needing to get back to doing his good works.

Rub is, as Antigen so well pointed out is where there is smole there is going to be fire.

The "good preacher" in this situation is a convicted felon. He has been at the center of controversy for years. Allegations of child abuse, employee abuse, and so forth and so on.

If this little "deal" the State made with him was the result of thier first experience with him, OK, so be it. I am not one to say slam a guy hard his first screw up.

But Team, the Reverend involved here is chronically involved in situations where his responses have kept him in trouble with the state and the law.

There is literally a TON of stuff out there, forums and antiabuse sites where letters have come from middle aged men and women that were inmates of the BetHELL homes.

I am a strong advocate of forgiveness and forgetting, but we cannot forget the history of the place called Bethel Academy. There must be some accounting by them for the accusations that have been forthcoming for over a quarter of a century.

In closing in my opinion(dislaimer)

The consent decree is a travesty, a gross miscarraige of justice and certainly smacks of possible corruption at some level.
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Offline Antigen

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« Reply #28 on: March 27, 2004, 10:29:00 AM »
Quote
On 2004-03-26 19:07:00, Anonymous wrote:

In closing in my opinion(dislaimer)

The consent decree is a travesty, a gross miscarraige of justice and certainly smacks of possible corruption at some level.


Yes, and it's par for the course, unfortunately. We're not going to start seeing real justice again in this country till we pare down the courts' workload to real crimes. That will put a lot of lawyers and others out of work. But what the hey, they're smart people, they can learn some useful trade or bag groceries at Wallmart or something.

As your attorney, it is my duty to inform you that it is not important that you understand what I'm doing or why you're paying me so much money.  What's important is that you continue to do so.
--Hunter S. Thompson's Samoan Attorney

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Offline Watchaduen

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Bethel Boys Academy, Lucedale, MS.
« Reply #29 on: May 20, 2004, 05:27:00 PM »
Looks like Bethel Girls Academy, Petal, MS. has more abuse allegations coming their way.  Both Bethel Girls and Bethel Boys Academy are owned and operated by the Fountains.  Once an abusive compound always an abusive place.
Here's the article where ALL THOSE VICTIMS were removed.
Sheriff says girls moved from Bethel Home in Petal

The Associated Press

PETAL ? About 40 teenage girls have been removed from a privately run, at-risk home in Petal and the case was turned over to the Forrest County Youth Court.

The girls were transferred Wednesday night from the Bethel Home to an undisclosed location for their safety, said Sheriff Billy McGee.
State Department of Human Services spokesman Rick Whitlow said Thursday the agency would have no comment.

?We?re referring all inquiries to the youth court in the county,? Whitlow said.

Under Mississippi law, Youth Court proceedings are confidential.

Sheriff Billy McGee said several state agencies ? including DHS, the attorney general? office and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality ? were at the privately owned facility for teenage girls for most of the day Wednesday.

?Apparently, the state received some complaints regarding some sort of mistreatment of the girls,? McGee said. ?I really don?t know what those complaints are, we were just called in to provide security and to transport the girls to a different location.?

The sheriff said that the parents of the girls were being notified to come and pick up their children.

?Until they are picked up from that location, they are under the custody of DHS,? he said. ?Overall, there are about 30-40 kids involved.?

McGee said the Bethel Home is located in Petal, near the Jones County line. He said the facility was operated by a church but he was not sure which one.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
heryle - My son was TORTURED and ABUSED at Bethel Boys Academy aka Eagle Point Christian Academy, aka Pine View Academy, Lucedale, MS.