Mid-April 2023

Dear Staff, Elders and friends,

Good evening. Thanks so much for many prayers and thoughts towards all. Mine have certainly gone your way.

I read Jeremiah 51:5-6 yesterday morning, when I first opened my Bible. These verses have been a source of great strength to me both yesterday and again today. There are many confirmations that God’s hand is working to help us in this experience. So we press on knowing God never has and never will forsake his people. And we all deeply desire to follow what is pure. I know you have had verses of comfort too.

We want to assure you that communication to all on how we plan to go forward safely and responsibly will be forthcoming. We desire an appropriate response, thus we need a little time to get it as right as we can and then be in touch with you again. Thanks to many of you for your helpful suggestions that are being considered. We desire to be approachable and transparent. We are committed to this process to help avoid, detect and deal with CSA as well as other abuse incidents.

With respect to all,

Your brother, Rob

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Letter from Rob Newman 4/27/2023

Dear Workers, Elders and Friends 

The attached is the first document we mentioned we would be sending to everyone This will give a foundation of awareness about the critical issue of child sexual abuse (CSA). We must protect our children, who are precious to God and represent the future. Education, awareness, preparation and honest conversations give the best protection against CSA, and the greatest hope of discovering it early. We need the help of ALL being aware- children parents, grandparents, workers, all. This will also help prepare our children to face the world we live in today, where CSA continues to increase.

We are very grateful for professionals among our friends who have helped with the writing and verification of this document. Without basic and thorough awareness of CSA, any Child Safe policy would not have the necessary foundation. Increased education and understanding will help alleviate fear and replace it with informed awareness. We want to avoid constant suspicion and missing fellowship in meetings which fail to address the real problem while greatly hindering healthy spiritual life.

The next document will be a Child Safe policy to explain things we will be doing going forward to help provide a safe environment among us and in our gatherings, as well as guidance for reporting concerns before they become CSA incidents.

We are deeply sorry for the pain and loss of trust that these issues have caused among us. But going forward, we are encouraged that things can and will be different. Certainly CSA among the ministry will not be tolerated- God has called His servants to be pure and trustworthy. The betrayal of this trust by some has understandably been very damaging but we who continue want to be true to His trust.

CSA happens wherever there are people- it is impossible to guarantee in any context that it won’t happen again- but we can certainly be much better prepared going forward to both minimize the likelihood and discover and stop it earlier.

Thank you again for your care and prayers as we continue onward. Elders please be sure to distribute this message and attached document by email or hard copy to everyone of responsible age in your meeting. If you need help with this please feel free to contact me.

Your brother, Rob

Attached: Child Sexual Abuse Information and Resources

WINGS Note: Eric Smith was professing and attending meetings until he was asked by the workers to not take the bread and wine in the fellowship meetings. He then stopped attending.

The workers accept, but have not publicly backed, the Court verdict. Accordingly, a number of friends in the area don’t accept that he was guilty, despite the Court verdicts.

Smith was charged in 2015 and sentenced in 2017 to 10 years and six months imprisonment on 12 charges of sexual offending against a girl aged 12 when the offending began.

In 2018 he appealed to the Court of Appeal, claiming that jurors may have been affected by extraneous, irrelevant and prejudicial information. His appeal was rejected.

Victim Impact Statement – WINGS for Truth

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Man jailed for serious sexual offending against girl

September 2017 https://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/97097046/man-jailed-for-serious-sexual-offending-against-girl

A woman sexually abused from the age of 12 told her abuser she gave back “all the shame, all the guilt and all the fault”,  a court has heard.

Nelson forestry worker Eric Walker Smith, 53, was sentenced in the Nelson District Court on Thursday to 10 years and six months imprisonment on 12 charges of sexual offending.

The charges carried a maximum of 20 years imprisonment.

Smith was earlier found guilty at trial on seven counts of unlawful sexual connection, one charge of attempted sexual violation, and four counts of indecent assault.

Judge David Ruth said the offending was extensive and involved a wide variety of sexual activity over a five year period.

“You took every possible opportunity to satisfy yourself sexually with this girl.”

Smith was 28-years-old and the victim 12-years-old when the offending began.

Ruth said the offending involved a degree of “depravity and humiliation” for the victim, which uplifted it into a “very serious category”.

A victim impact statement read out to the court by a court official detailed the impact the offending had on her life.

“I struggled to find the courage to put into words the scars you have left me with,” the statement said.

“I wish today I could say I felt the way I did when I was 10, before you impacted my life. I wish I felt ready for and capable of anything.”

The social, psychological, academic and financial impact on her life had been “immense”.

“It sounds so cliched to say you stole my innocence, but yes, you did.

“For five years you systematically traumatised, hurt, devalued and objectified me for your own delusional gratification.”

The victim said she had suffered from mental health issues, self-harmed, had suicidal thoughts and at times needed to be heavily medicated in order to function.

The abuse had a “devastating impact” on her family. Despite what had occurred, the victim said she did not identify as one.

“For years I believed that this was somehow my fault and I had made this happen.”

“Today I give you back what is yours, all the shame, all the guilt and all the fault. It was never mine to carry and I have carried it far too long.”

Ruth said the victim impact statement was “balanced and insightful” and gave an indication as to the serious nature of the offending.

Crown prosecutor Mark O’Donoghue said the jury’s guilty verdict showed they rejected Smith’s claim that the liaison was consensual.

He said a starting point of 12 years imprisonment was appropriate and that any credit for previous good character should be tempered by the “prolonged and sustained nature of offending”.

Defence lawyer John Sandston said a starting point of nine years imprisonment was appropriate and a credit for Smith’s otherwise good character should be considered.

He said the offending was not premeditated but opportunistic and spontaneous in nature.

Ruth said while there might not have had a “sophisticated plan” it was premeditated as Smith appeared to be obsessed with the victim and during the trial had only admitted to a “limited consensual sexual relationship”.

“That is simply fantasy and tells me that you at this stage, do not even now, understand the harm that your offending has done.”

Ruth sentenced Smith to 10 years and six months imprisonment, which included a six month discount for his otherwise good character. As a result of the charges Smith would be added to the child sex offender register.

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Sex offender’s bid to have jurors questioned rejected

Oct 2018 Sex offender’s bid to have jurors questioned rejected

https://www.lawyerservices.in/Eric-Walter-Smith-Versus-The-Queen-2018-10-10

Minnesota and Iowa Policy regarding child sexual abuse

Dear Friends

It is necessary to be in touch again regarding the abuse issues we all have been trying to process in past weeks. We have prayerfully considered, and researched how to properly address child sexual abuse issues.  We have appreciated suggestions sent by professionals about online education. Please understand that in Minnesota and Iowa we have a zero tolerance policy for child sexual abuse, going forward.

Once a child abuse allegation is received, the information will be immediately reported to the proper authorities who are equipped and experienced in investigating and handling these issues. The person against whom the allegation is received will be asked to NOT attend meetings of any kind. If the allegation is completely cleared, it will be reassessed.

Abuse of any kind has no place in God’s family and child sexual abuse is a crime. If it is reasonably suspected that abuse has occurred it must be reported to the proper authorities in the area the abuse occurred. Reports can be made to local police or by calling an abuse hotline such as 800-656-HOPE.

It is the practice of people to not want to expose the sin of someone else. In the case of child sexual abuse all cases must reported and not doing so is against the law. Failing to report only allows perpetrators to continue their devastating behavior, leaves victims without any recourse for justice or treatment, and exposes others to becoming victims of the perpetrator’s abuse.

Adult victims of abuse are encouraged to access the RAINN.org online chat or phone hotline which can connect you with support services in your area.

Victim trauma education could be helpful for understanding and helping victims of abuse. The effects of abuse are not easily overcome and not well understood by the general public.

The workers on the MN/IA staff are required to take the Ministry Safe Awareness Training. It has been available the last fifteen years. This course is available to everyone and is available on line at ministrysafe.com. We are currently asking elders and wives to take the course, also. Elders, please email Bob and Sheri Lundstrom at IAMNSafe@gmail.com, and they will send the relevant information for taking this course. Parents can watch the Parent Training video by Ministry Safe, as well.

Below is information compiled with help from CSA professionals.

Feel free to reach out to any of us if there are further questions. We have been making efforts to address everyone’s concerns.

Sincerely, The Minnesota and Iowa Staff

From a professing author and their family, who would like to add their voice for victim-survivor support and advocating for change going forward.

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My family roots can be traced back to a Senator friend of Lincoln’s who took a stand for abolition and was beaten on the Senate floor, later dying of his injuries.  He took a stand for what was right in the biggest fight of his generation without fully knowing or caring about the cost, as did Lincoln. That said, we are also descendants of a Northern President who remains a stain on American history. That man with his pro-slavery ignorance, lack of empathy, greed and hunger for power was insatiable at the expense of so many innocent people. His ignorance over 150 years ago doesn’t define us or our values today.

My great grandmother bravely took a stand for what was right at great cost by kicking my abusive great grandfather out of the house and raising 9 kids on her own during the Great Depression.  I’m told they had their share of eating lard and cornmeal as well as wearing homemade potato sack clothing.

We also have a deceased relative by marriage – she was married at 14YO with parents’ permission to a 20+YO man many decades past. She raised several capable children, built homes and businesses and never considered herself a survivor to my limited knowledge.

In our family history, we have both pride and shame; good and evil; joy and sorrow interwoven. People who will be remembered for their wickedness aside, we accept that there is a measure of good and bad in all of us. We accept that cultures change with time, and sometimes at great cost to the people willing to advocate and even agitate for change. We accept that some of what we practice is just tradition, and not doctrine.  Practices and the way we deal with this issue in particular can and must change significantly.

Our collective and personal past shaped who we are today, and we have some choice in what we dwell on, and what we chose to do with it.  We can choose when and what battles we fight and how we apply ourselves. Many of us are fortunate to have been spared, but we acknowledge that many were not.  We have some choice in practicing resilience when we can find the strength, and we have a duty to protect and help others when we can. If knowing what we know now, in educating ourselves through recurring ministry safe training, we sit and expect others to make all of the changes, we might wait for a long time. 

If we bicker among ourselves, we’ll delay progress. If we ask for or promise the impossible, we’ll remain disappointed. If we stop at training and don’t implement child safe, code of conduct and zero tolerance policies we’ve done way too little.  If we write policies but don’t take action, we’ll have accomplished next to nothing.  If we make assumptions, assuming the worst about people who do not have allegations of this type against them, we’ll collaterally damage people who are also committed to making changes.

That said, we can’t continue with a lack of transparency and failure to report to law enforcement promptly. If we simply look forward with blinders on, and don’t purge the wickedness of the past from among us, it won’t be nearly enough. Let’s advocate for and embrace change together regardless of our differences, encouraging each other in this fight for progress and clearer, better informed thinking and actions. It’s easy to criticize, and I’m sure there is much to criticize in what I’ve already said. I recognize I have a lot to learn.  Let’s focus on the big picture in supporting and helping those who are leading both inside and outside – to offer ideas, and be advocates for change together.

As parents, we recognize a shared responsibility for keeping our children safe, and we expect the enforcement of our laws, together with our communities to help accomplish this goal. We understand there are risks, and we do what we can in our limited knowledge and ability to live life with balance while managing the risks. 

My family lives in a big city. There are registered offenders in our neighborhood, yet I take my kids to the park.  No one notifies me when we go to the park which people are offenders and where they are at any given moment. I go with my children to the park to manage this risk.  I grocery shop where these same people probably shop, and frankly I’m glad I don’t know which ones are offenders or I’d walk around with a curled lip, disgusted by them and probably working on some way to chew them out. 

There have been offending teachers and coaches in the past at other schools, but my kids go to school and play soccer where adults are background checked and supervised with rules for safe interaction. We expect all suspected abusers to be fired promptly, and all potentially impacted families to be notified when these things happen to children in our schools or sports organizations. There have been bullying and harrasment cases at large companies, but my wife and I go to work.

We can’t blame overseers as a group and expect overseers to fix all of our problems. Many of them are working hard on this issue as they are hearing from many of us, and many of them recognize big changes are long overdue like never before, the same as we do.

We share responsibility with our overseers and workers to get informed and make changes.  We can’t blame all workers as a group – that’s naive, unhelpfully oversimplifying this problem, and incredibly unfair. The vast majority are wonderful people.

Some elders and friends have also behaved criminally in the past as have individuals in every other large group of people throughout time and across cultures, but that doesn’t mean that you or I are criminals too.  There have clearly been both many good, and too many who will be remembered as criminal individuals in every profession, country and historical period. There are laws in every nation on earth because of this.

We should have started this long ago, but can’t go back in time. It is our duty to accomplish the necessary changes now in our generation.  In our generation we have both the responsibility and ability to take a stand for what is right, and to stand against what is wrong, to be better informed and advocate for justice.  We should together commit ourselves to that noble purpose. 

It is imperative we make any and every change needed within scripture to purge this evil from among us to the best of our collective ability (I Cor 5).  We acknowledge that we are just getting started, that we are learning and don’t know everything about anything.  We know that significant changes can take time but we expect rapid, continual progress of ourselves and of the group on this issue.  We appreciate the leaders and professionally trained, and want them to take courage in making big changes knowing we support this effort and want to help.  This is the battle of our generation within the fellowship.

Let’s recognize those who are survivors, some of whom may be outside, that have brought this evil to our attention.

We recognize those who have courageously fought for change from the front lines for many years without being heard, and even now are actively working to identify and mitigate the scope of this stain on our history worldwide. While this type of evil has always existed and will always exist, it remains a battle worth fighting. While there is no perfect solution, there are many changes that are long overdue and must be made now.  We can have an impact together on how quickly and thoroughly changes are made. We know which side the Lord is on. We know which side will be perceived as the right one in the arc of history.  I am new to this fight, but I want to help you who are veterans of it to the end. There will not be peace until the necessary changes have been made, nor should there be.

Our family and those I’ve talked with in our state have been encouraged to see appropriate steps finally being taken to confront this issue, remove and report suspects, communicate better, enlist professionals, discuss changes and listen to each other. We’ve discussed these things openly with many parents, family, elders and workers and we are looking forward to further changes going forward. As changes are accomplished we’ll be safer, stronger and better for it.

– One of many

From: Richard Gasser
Date: Wed. May 10, 2023, 11:08 AM
Subject inappropriate Sexual Behaviour
To: Richard Gasser

Dear Friends in the Grand Island & Lincoln area

It is with great sadness that we must send this email.

An anonymous victim has come forward with an accusation, that we believe to be true against Russ Hall for very inappropriate sexual behavior toward a minor.
It has been turned into the proper authorities. At this point we have asked Russ to not attend any meetings, Sunday Meetings, Wednesday Meetings, Gospel Meetings, Special meetings or Convention.

We take absolutely no pleasure in exposing other’s failures. Especially when we consider our own great need of the Mercy of the Lord, However with the case of Sexual behavior with minors it is criminal and must be acknowledged, before it can be helped. The effects of sexual abuse on children Is devastating and long lasting. We have been made aware that by failing to communicate openly about these things can cause ongoing trauma for past victims and make victims afraid to report their own experience.

Here is the 24/7 Child Abuse; Neglect Hotline number for any one to call: (800) 652-1999

Maybe it is best we mention also of several workers that are no longer in the work because of varying accounts of indecent behavior that has come to light in the past few months as well, we are not sure who might have been here to these states to visit? Mark Huddle, John Vandenberg, Braydon Dutton, Robert Flippo.

Though their actions have been very wrong, We plead that no one would show a hateful spirit toward any of these. We are very conscious we are dealing with precious souls and our belief and hope is that Honesty before God and the power of Jesus’ cleansing blood will enable us all to stand before our Eternal Judge one day and be accepted Into his eternal realm

All of our Kansas and Nebraska staff are planning to attend a seminar in Scottsbluff at the beginning of June before the Scottsbluff convention that concerns child abuse and reporting etc. We hope in time, to share some thoughts from that with you as well We are sorry for times in the past that we have not responded like we should to these things and we hope to do better.

With loving Care & Concern
the KS NE Workers

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WINGS Note:

Russ Hall is a former worker who was stationed in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Kansas throughout the 80s and 90s and now lives in Nebraska.

Professional advice from a professing law enforcement training officer

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This email is worded rather strongly, but the reality is that I cannot word this strongly enough. 

I have received some questions regarding sex offenders and suspected offenders being in meeting with potential victims and what the threshold should be for notifying parents, caregivers, and potential adult victims when someone has offended or is suspected of being an offender. Bottom line, if someone is convicted of or suspected of being a sex offender, they should not be meeting with those who represent their victims (children, teenagers, single women, sister workers, etc.) and people should always be notified so they can protect the vulnerable as they see fit. Failure to do so is comparable to handing a drug addict illicit drugs and trusting/hoping they won’t use the drugs and hurt someone. Allowing suspected offenders to be around potential victims is irresponsible and those who knowingly allow that to happen may be guilty of a crime if a suspected offender reoffends. I can only speak for the state of Montana, but MCA 45-5-628 (Criminal Child Endangerment) and MCA 45-5-622 (Endangering Welfare of Children) may apply; a conviction is not required in order to mandate steps be taken to protect children. Note that notifications should not be done in a malicious spirit of judgement, but with the intention of protecting the vulnerable. 

It is important to understand that the laws vary quite a bit from state to state and that the proper application of law is often a grey area. What I mean by “grey area” is that it is impossible for the legislature to write laws that specifically cover every single possible scenario, so laws tend to be written simply and are then enforced with a measure of latitude. A lot of people read laws and think “it doesn’t specifically cover this situation therefore it doesn’t apply”. However, law enforcement officers and prosecutors are given discretion to rely on prudent judgement and historical case law when it comes to enforcing laws. The US judicial system is designed so that a jury will decide whether or not the latitude and discretion applied by both the investigating officer(s) and prosecutor is appropriate. Despite this measure of latitude, law enforcement officers and prosecutors still often believe that a crime has occurred but still do not have the proof required for a conviction as beyond a reasonable doubt is a difficult standard to obtain. Because of this, along with the traumatizing effects on a victim of reporting a crime, it is understood that the vast majority of sex and child endangerment crimes go unreported, unpunished, and many offenders remain free. No one should wait for a criminal conviction before taking action to protect the vulnerable. A prudent officer will try to err on the side of protecting the vulnerable when possible. Friends and workers should do the same. With this in mind, parents and caregivers have a moral obligation to not meet with someone they believe may pose a danger. Once again, anyone who attempts to force potential victims to meet with known or suspected offenders may be guilty of a crime. Of greater importance, anyone who knowingly endangers the vulnerable is guilty of a serious moral failure regardless of criminal code application.

Unfortunately, I am receiving many accounts of workers and friends making determinations of risk on their own. It has happened often in the past and it is regrettably happening right now across North America. It is not appropriate for someone who is untrained in sex crimes and survivor trauma to attempt such determinations. Romans 13 1-7 is quite clear that some things are to be left to the law. Sexual deviancy is unquestionably one of those things. Investigating sex crimes requires an understanding of survivor trauma that the untrained do not have. We have learned in recent years that investigating sex crimes requires a completely different approach which has unfortunately caused a lot of legitimate claims to be dismissed by law enforcement in the past. Without going into too much detail, a person who has experienced survivor trauma is often going to behave and communicate in a manner that comes across as unreliable to an untrained person. However, a properly trained and experienced investigator understands that seemingly unreliable survivor trauma behaviors are actually a strong indicator that a crime has occured. This is why determinations of crime should be left to law enforcement officers who are specifically trained in such matters. Risk of re-offense should be left to mental health professionals who are specifically trained in such matters. Knowing what we know now, trying to handle things “in house” rather than turning things over to the authorities is harmful and may be criminal. 

It is everyone’s duty to speak up against actions which put the vulnerable at risk. Many have taken the stance that they are going to sit back, pray, and allow God to handle it. However, God’s work often requires his people to both pray and take action. Faith without works is dead. It may be uncomfortable and unpleasant, but God needs his people to take a stand for what is right. Suspected crimes are to be reported to law enforcement. Those who endanger potential victims need to be counseled. If they fail to take appropriate action, they are to be reported. 

I hope this is helpful. Please feel free to share as necessary. 

M. S.

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Criminal Child Endangerment

45-5-628. Criminal child endangerment. (1) A person commits the offense of criminal child endangerment if the person purposely, knowingly, or negligently causes substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to a child under 14 years of age by:

(a) failing to seek reasonable medical care for a child suffering from an apparent acute life-threatening condition;

(b) placing a child in the physical custody of another who the person knows has previously purposely or knowingly caused bodily injury to a child;

(c) placing a child in the physical custody of another who the person knows has previously committed an offense against the child under 45-5-502 or 45-5-503;

(d) manufacturing or distributing dangerous drugs in a place where a child is present;

(e) operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or dangerous drugs in violation of 61-8-1002 or committing aggravated driving under the influence as defined in 61-8-1001 with a child in the vehicle; or

(f) failing to attempt to provide proper nutrition for a child, resulting in a medical diagnosis of nonorganic failure to thrive.

(2) A person may not be charged under subsection (1)(b) or (1)(c) if the person placed the child in the other person’s custody pursuant to a court order.

(3) A person convicted of the offense of criminal child endangerment shall be fined an amount not to exceed $50,000 or be imprisoned in the state prison for a term not to exceed 10 years, or both.

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Endangering Welfare Of Children

45-5-622. Endangering welfare of children. (1) A parent, guardian, or other person supervising the welfare of a child less than 18 years old commits the offense of endangering the welfare of children if the parent, guardian, or other person knowingly endangers the child’s welfare by violating a duty of care, protection, or support.

(2) Except as provided in 16-6-305, a parent or guardian or any person who is 18 years of age or older, whether or not the parent, guardian, or other person is supervising the welfare of the child, commits the offense of endangering the welfare of children if the parent, guardian, or other person knowingly contributes to the delinquency of a child less than:

(a) 18 years old by:

(i) supplying or encouraging the use of an intoxicating substance by the child; or

(ii) assisting, promoting, or encouraging the child to enter a place of prostitution; or

(b) 16 years old by assisting, promoting, or encouraging the child to:

(i) abandon the child’s place of residence without the consent of the child’s parents or guardian; or

(ii) engage in sexual conduct.

(3) A person, whether or not the person is supervising the welfare of a child less than 18 years of age, commits the offense of endangering the welfare of children if the person, in the residence of a child, in a building, structure, conveyance, or outdoor location where a child might reasonably be expected to be present, in a room offered to the public for overnight accommodation, or in any multiple-unit residential building, knowingly:

(a) produces or manufactures methamphetamine or attempts to produce or manufacture methamphetamine;

(b) possesses any material, compound, mixture, or preparation that contains any combination of the items listed in 45-9-107 with intent to manufacture methamphetamine; or

(c) causes or permits a child to inhale, be exposed to, have contact with, or ingest methamphetamine or be exposed to or have contact with methamphetamine paraphernalia.

(4) A parent, guardian, or other person supervising the welfare of a child less than 16 years of age may verbally or in writing request a person who is 18 years of age or older and who has no legal right of supervision or control over the child to stop contacting the child if the requester believes that the contact is not in the child’s best interests. If the person continues to contact the child, the parent, guardian, or other person supervising the welfare of the child may petition or the county attorney may upon the person’s request petition for an order of protection under Title 40, chapter 15. To the extent that they are consistent with this subsection, the provisions of Title 40, chapter 15, apply. A person who purposely or knowingly violates an order of protection commits the offense of endangering the welfare of children and upon conviction shall be sentenced as provided in subsection (5)(a).

(5) (a) Except as provided in subsection (5)(b), a person convicted of endangering the welfare of children shall be fined an amount not to exceed $500 or be imprisoned in the county jail for any term not to exceed 6 months, or both. A person convicted of a second offense of endangering the welfare of children shall be fined an amount not to exceed $1,000 or be imprisoned in the county jail for any term not to exceed 6 months, or both.

(b) A person convicted under subsection (3) is guilty of a felony and shall be imprisoned in the state prison for a term not to exceed 5 years and may be fined an amount not to exceed $10,000, or both. If a child suffers serious bodily injury, the offender shall be fined an amount not to exceed $25,000 or be imprisoned for a term not to exceed 10 years, or both. Prosecution or conviction of a violation of subsection (3) does not bar prosecution or conviction for any other crime committed by the offender as part of the same conduct.

(6) On the issue of whether there has been a violation of the duty of care, protection, and support, the following, in addition to all other admissible evidence, is admissible: cruel treatment; abuse; infliction of unnecessary and cruel punishment; abandonment; neglect; lack of proper medical care, clothing, shelter, and food; and evidence of past bodily injury.

(7) The court may order, in its discretion, any fine levied or any bond forfeited upon a charge of endangering the welfare of children paid to or for the benefit of the person or persons whose welfare the defendant has endangered.

Ronald Lee Schober dob October 8, 1953

WA State records Case 937474 show that Ronald Schober was convicted in a ‘Rape of Child’ case, probably in 1988, and he is known to have served prison time.

He had a previous conviction for lewd and lascivious conduct in 1977, and in 1982 had agreed to undertake counselling in lieu of prosecution for indecent exposure to a child.

Richard Leon Schober dob July 23, 1945, was a worker in the late 1960s. He was caught abusing children at convention and removed from the work but overseers did not pursue charges.

He subsequently married and had children and was reported to have abused many children.

WA State records Case 235974 show that Richard Schober was convicted in an ‘Indecent Liberties’ case, probably around 1982, and he is known to have served prison time.

He is currently living in Alaska and has been reported as exhibiting grooming behaviour. He was allowed to attend meetings since around 2014, despite concern from local families.

Recently he has been removed from physical attendance at meetings but there are still concerns about risk to the community.

Former Casino man accused of 32 child sex offences

THE 63-year-old is accused of the repeated indecent and sexual assault of a four to eight year old girl between late 1977 and early 1981, while in his mid-20s.

By Hamish Broome December 8, 2017 – 1:04PM

COURT proceedings against a former Casino man accused of a raft of historical child sexual abuse crimes appear to be moving towards a resolution after two years.

Cecil James Blyth was excused from appearing in Lismore Local Court on Tuesday, where the matter was mentioned for the 12th time since Blyth was charged in late 2015.

The 63-year-old now lives five hours’ drive away near Kingaroy in Queensland.

He is accused of the repeated indecent and sexual assault of a four to eight year old girl between late 1977 and early 1981, while in his mid-20s.

Blyth is charged with 18 counts of assaulting a female and committing an act of indecency, and 14 counts of committing an act of indecency on a female under 16 years old.

Thirty of the charges concern a single alleged victim, while two others relate to an unknown alleged female victim.

All of the alleged assaults happened in Casino.

On Tuesday the DPP prosecutor told the court that facts were being negotiated “towards a resolution”.

The matter was adjourned to December 19 to return to Lismore Local Court when the court heard Blyth is “likely” to be committed for sentence.

He is required to attend court.

From: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/lismore/former-casino-man-accused-of-32-child-sex-offences/news-story/3633eb00566ce9b360cd734fc98a99b1

Former sect leader pleads guilty to child sex charges

By Chris Johnston March 20, 2014 — 9.03pm

A former leader of a secretive Victorian sect has pleaded guilty to child sex charges in a Gippsland court.

Chris Chandler, 56, of French Island, a former senior member of the shadowy Bible sect known as Friends and Workers or the Two by Twos, pleaded guilty in the LaTrobe Valley Magistrate’s Court on Thursday to nine charges including unlawful indecent assaults, indecent assaults and gross indecency on three young female victims.

Several charges were dropped during the committal mention hearing on Thursday but Chandler faces court again in May after entering his guilty plea.

The charges date back to the 1970s when Chandler was aged in his 20s. Some victims were under 12. Chandler was not a member of the sect then but joined only three years later.

A Fairfax Media investigation last year established senior members of the sect knew of the allegations yet promoted him, in 1991, to the senior position of “worker”, or minister – meaning he was travelling throughout Victoria and Tasmania and staying in family homes as a “missionary”.

From 1991 until 2004 Chandler was in Wodonga, Shepparton, Launceston and rural Tasmania. He later positioned himself within the sect as a counsellor and contact for victims of child sexual abuse.

Chandler, a self-employed ecologist who recently returned from several years in Uruguay and Brazil, resigned from the sect in 2012. Yet he went to an overnight sect convention where children were present at Speed, near Mildura, and last year went to sect meetings at Crib Point near Hastings.

A submission to the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious groups – by an organisation called Wings, an online group of former Friends and Workers sect members – said the sect is “haphazard” in dealing with sexual abuse allegations and “the main focus has been on protecting the reputation of the Workers and not on helping victims”.

The sect has 2000 Victorian members and an estimated 200,000 worldwide. It is an offshoot of the Cooneyites. The Irish founder of the Cooneyites was the Protestant evangelist Edward Cooney, who moved to Mildura and died there in 1960 – hence Victoria’s strong membership.

Matthew 10 in The Bible sets out much of what the sect believes. In it, Jesus sends out his disciples to cleanse the world of “impure spirits”.

The sect was linked to the suicides of Narelle and Stephen Henderson, aged 14 and 12, of Pheasant Creek near Kinglake, in 1994. It holds five conventions a year at Speed, Colac, Drouin and at Thoona near Benalla.

They have no churches or headquarters and no written policies or doctrines. Short hair is forbidden on sect women. Long hair is forbidden on men. Television, radio, movies, dancing and jewellery are usually banned in sect homes.

The Victorian and Tasmanian leader of Friends and Workers, David Leitch, is known to be close to Chandler. In 2012, Chandler and Leitch wrote a letter to all Victorian sect members announcing Chandler would step down “from the Work” because police in Gippsland had begun questioning him about the allegations that have now led to Chandler’s sex charges.

In 2011 another senior Victorian “worker”, Ernest Barry, was convicted in a Gippsland court on five indecent assault charges over four years on a girl, a sect member, in the 1970s.

He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to jail, but was given a suspended sentence on appeal.

Police say they knew of another 12 alleged victims, but could not lay further charges against Barry, who now lives in Warrnambool, because the additional alleged victims would not come forward or press charges.

When Chandler was a “worker” in Wodonga in 1995, the co-“worker” with him in family homes was Ernest Barry.

Then last year – this time in South Australia – the issue of child sexual abuse emerged in the secret sect again. A South Australian “worker”, who has now moved to Victoria, alleged to Leitch that another fellow “worker” had been allegedly sexually abusing children.

Leitch sacked the worker who raised the allegations because he says the allegations were not true and he knew they were not true because he investigated them himself.

From: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/former-sect-leader-pleads-guilty-to-child-sex-charges-20140320-3562h.html