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Seems that the new Eagle Point Christian Academy is also Bethel Boys Academy.  John Fountain the owner/operator and abuser of Bethel Boys Academy, Lucedale, MS. states he changed the name to run from the all the lawsuits, allegations of abuse, torture and inhumane treatment.

Posted on Thu, Feb. 10, 2005
 
 
 


Lucedale's Bethel Home gets new name, education plan, organizer says


LUCEDALE - John Fountain, the director of the newly named Eagle Point Christian Academy, previously known as Bethel Boys Academy, said Thursday the school is entering a new era for working with troubled youth.

"Our goal is still to turn around lives," he said. "We have new staff members and we are going to make our program work better."

Fountain said he and his attorney Trey Bobinger came up with the new name and still haven't finished all the legal wording. "I hope to put a new face on it."

He said the program, which has 105 young men enrolled, gets away from the "boot camp" mentality.

"I don't believe in corporal punishment," he said. "It doesn't work for the kids now days."

He said it could be more difficult to maintain discipline, but that he and his staff would work through that.

Fountain said local educator Bobby Walker is principal of the academy.

"We will be getting a library and adding computers," he said. "We must do that so the youngsters can get into the new technology."

Fountain said the academy would abide by all state rules and regulations. "If we expect the youngsters to go by the rules, we certainly have to do it ourselves."

He would not talk about suits alleging mistreatment of youth which he said came during the past administration. "Our attorney is handling that."

The name change is not unprecedented with the academy, which was founded by Fountain's father, Herman.

It was called the Bethel Home for Children in 1988 when it was raided by state welfare officials who removed 72 abused and neglected children. A judge shut it down in 1990 and Herman Fountain reopened it as the Bethel Boys Academy four years later.

"Life's a learning experience, I've learned a lot from the mistakes my father has made and still learning everyday and wanting to make a change," Fountain said.

Fountain called the abuse allegations "hog wash."

"Some of them are so far fetched, it's almost funny," he said.

George County authorities cleared the academy of abuse allegations last year, but parents continued to complain of visible signs of injury to their children.

Fort Smith, Ark. attorney Oscar Stilley, who is representing parents of former cadets suing the academy in federal court, said the case is heading to trial and at least two similar lawsuits are to come.

Bobinger said even though the abuse allegations, which are two years old, are still the subject of a lawsuit, there are no pending legal issues with the state.

The school admits about 100 students, ages 11 to 17, whose stays range from eight to 12 months, Fountain said.
 

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If this is true; then surely there will be charges filed. Surely.
And if so, there may be a trial.>>>

Why do you say that?  Seems to me this is already in the process of being covered up.  This rotten, out of control teen tried to fight the drill instructor.  They then had the right to slam him to the ground and restrain him.  It is very unfortunate that his collar bone was broken.  And very much a freak accident that caused the anuerism to burst.
Makes me sick, but I can hear it now.
Just recently a new victim was rescued from Bethel Boys Academy *unannounced*.  He had been sick for weeks yet still forced to exercise all day long, starved, you get the picture.  When the Mom got him she rushed him to the ER where he was admitted.
Bethel was questioned by the state over that.  Guess what?  Many other boys and employees witnessed this boy "making" himself throw up all the time.  He wasn't really sick.
This boy was about dead from dehydration, bacterial & staph infection.  Immediately it was covered up.

All they had to do was ask if chewing gum during the workshop was okay. I'm not allowed to chew gum during work, and especially not during team meetings. Silly rule? Yes, but I know the consequences of breaking it at work. >>>

Really?  Please do tell what the consequences would be at work.  Would your boss slam you to the ground and lock you up?  Or would you be fired on the spot?  Or maybe you would be demoted to the janitors position for a few months?
Get real.  Your posts are a desperate attempt to show this was a sane reaction to a dumb piece of gum.  The parents realized this also.  It wasn't that the Dad whipped out a cigg and offered it to his son.  It was a small piece of gum.  Nor did the parents tell the son they would smuggle in a few packs so he could chew it later.  Pluuulleeeez.

Timoclea - not meant to be nasty here. What are you doing with your degree? Do you work for a Program?>>>

No degree here, nor do I personally have what it takes to run a childs care center.  I also believe in order for one to be run correctly, it takes waaaaay more money than what the torture homes are charging.  You would have to pay people trained and educated in helping kids.  Not just people off the street.
We parents have filed our first lawsuit.  I contact the media, state officials and government officials on a daily basis.  I do so much more than just post on a message board.  Yet by posting on the message boards it helps to bring about awareness to this horrible problem and also allows me to find more victims from Bethel Boys Academy and Bethel Girls Academy.  Before this whole mess started I never realized the deep rooted corruption surrounding these places.  I have now seen and am dealing with this first hand.  Someone needs to fight for all those kids locked up.

Timoclea

I didn't get that Bethel was a WWASPS school when your son was there.>>>>

My son was abused and tortured at Bethel.  It wasn't a WWASP school last summer, 2003.  But it is now.  I think any reputable treatment school for teens would NOT want to be associated with WWASP.
I just was commenting that I e-mailed that TIME editor also.  I also sent them a copy of the lawsuit filed in Federal Court.

I told them about the wonderful WWASP school we placed our son at, Bethel Boys Academy, Lucedale, MS.  That during his 3 1/2 days he was beaten, tortured, starved and deprived of sleep, water (dehydration) and bathroom priviledges. I had to ask how that treatment was supposed to help my son in any way?  Also, why is agains the law (a felony) for parents to abuse, torture, starve, etc. their child, but not some complete stranger?

All ye who know something, pile on, pile on! Nothing gets the attention of the media better than numerous contacts. Even if all you have to tell them is about a similarly run place or one w/ staff/ownership connections, tell them.>>>

I had e-mailed this editor of the St. Louis paper a week ago sending him a copy of the Federal Lawsuit against Bethel Boys Academy.  He e-mailed back saying he would contact me if he was interested in doing a story.  Thayer is exactly like Bethel Boys Academy.  A boot camp full of beatings, tortures, deprivations, censorship and no education (until they feel you have earned it).  I see a direct correlation here.  I wish he did also.
I just posted recently that it seemed like someone was going to have to lose their life to bring justice.  This poor child is dead and in the end, no one is going to care.  Breaks my heart.

I couldn't agree with you more.  I have read about the deaths at these torture chambers for kids.  Seems so many of them are covered up.  Accident, etc.  I know when we rescued our son, we attended a big meeting at the Attorney General's office.  Our son and the other boy that had just been rescued the day after were sent to the Child Advocates Office in Jackson for a forensic assessment and evaluation.  Both boys were deemed credible.  J.W. Watkins (Personal Integrity Div. for the Attorney General's Office) sat on the other side of the smoked mirror witnessing this.  My son was extremely concerned that a kid was going to die during one of the tortures inflicted at Bethel.  Even the Director of the Child Advocates office put that in her forensic assessment.  It was her grave concern that under the sadistic evil treatment of the Fountains a child could lose his/her life.  Yet, the State of Mississippi seemed okay with it.  We finally obtained copies of the court hearing where the Fountains were responding to Mike Moore, the Attorney General asking to close this Hell Hole down.  Bethel's sole defense as it states in these court papers was that the two state run schools (Oakley and Columbia) were abusive and torturous also so therefore you (the State of MS.) is coming to court with unclean hands.  Go figure.