Lee Bradberry Arrested For Sexually Abusing Children At Midwest Christian Camp
Lee Bradberry, a 22-year-old Kanakuk Kamps counselor in Alabama, was charged Friday for sexually abusing young campers.
Three campers, aged 9, 10, and 12 respectively, came forward with allegations of sexual abuse against Bradberry. He was terminated in July after the abuses came to light.
As soon as this first indication of inappropriate behavior was brought to our attention, we immediately dismissed Bradberry and reported his behavior to the parents of the campers involved, law enforcement and child protection authorities, said a statement from Doug Goodwin, chief operating officer at the camp near Branson.
Under the guise of teaching baseball, Bradberry groped two campers, saying that it was a grand slam when he did so. He fondled and masturbated with another camper, and attempted oral sex.
These incidents occurred several times when other adults were not around and the suspect was either alone with one or both of the victims, said documents in the case.
Bradberry is being held on $100,000 bond. He was charged with two counts of statutory sodomy, two counts of child molestation, one count of sexual misconduct and one count of attempted sodomy, according to the Springfield News-Leader. All are felony counts.
We grieve with and are praying for those impacted by this situation. We applaud the courage shown by campers who reported this staffer's behavior - potentially helping to prevent further abuse, said Goodwin in his statement.
Kanakuk Kamps are non-denominational Christian athletic camps located in the southwest.
This abuse runs counter to everything we stand for at Kanakuk. And, we are more determined than ever to keep fighting with everything we have to make this the safest place possible for kids to encounter Jesus and His Gospel, continued Goodwin in his statement.
This isn't the first time Kanakuk Kamps has faced a sex abuse scandal. In 2010, Peter D. Newman was sentenced to life in prison after sexually abusing six children over a 10 year period.
Newman asked children to join him in Bible studies in a hot tub where they would engage in mutual masturbation. He also performed oral and anal sex on a camper, reported the Springfield News-Leader
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