Pete Newman Prays And Plays With Your Sons
September 16, 2009 by impqueen
Branson, Missouri - And preys on them, it appears. Peter “Pete” Newman, 33, was a camp counselor and assistant director for ten years at Kanakuk Kamps in Branson, where they love Jesus, sports, the letter K, and your children. Kounselor Pete really, really loves your children, especially if they’re boys between 11 and 15. According to an email I received from Joe White, Kanakuk’s owner, Newman was terminated as soon as his proclivities were discovered, and the camp notified authorities and the “impacted families”, offering their assistance to the boys they were able to identify as victims of Newman’s little peter problem.
There is some question, however, of when Newman was actually fired. Court documents say that Newman wrote an eight-page confession detailing his Kamp activities in June of this year, and was terminated upon receipt. Joe White says that actually, Newman had not worked for Kanakuk since “sometime in the spring”. Several of Newman’s victims are now in their late teens or early twenties, but doubtless some boys were, um, exposed to Newman as late as the 2008 camp season or even into 2009.
This case is a little personal for me, because I come from a “Kanakuk family”. Most of the kids in my family have gone to Kanakuk several years running, and I’ve met Joe White and many of the camp staff (yeah, I’m the black imp of the family). I have to say that Kanakuk has an excellent reputation for safety, and I know that criminal background checks are done on every potential employee. Beyond that, White says, interviewers are trained specifically to spot behaviors and answers that could indicate a safety risk. I never met Pete Newman, but he must have been pretty good at getting the answers right.
Newman apparently worked by grooming his campers. He’d have them to his home for BibleBible reviews
studies and sleepovers, where he would invite the boys to go skinny-dippin’ in his hot tub. That’s when the molestation took place. I’m trying to figure out how someone can pray with a kid and then get naked, but hey. That’s why I’d make a bad camp counselor – I don’t really like naked kids. Hell, I don’t really like dressed kids enough to have them over for a little hot-dogs-and-weiner action.
The probable cause statement says that Newman “engaged in being naked with [victims] while participating in various activities such as Bible studies in the hot tub, swimming nude in the lake, playing nude basketball at night, streaking in the nude at various locations in the Kamp, etc…” and that “fondling and other crimes” occurred repeatedly over a long period of time.
It’s not clear how many boys Newman molested over his decade of employment with Kanakuk. Court documents show up to sixteen different victims, but specifically list nine. The K-Kountry web page says that “every action-packed K-Kountry day hums with words of love and encouragement sung by a staff hand-picked for their Christ-like patience and sensitivity.“ Um, I don’t think running naked through Kamp and Bible study in the hot tub followed by a game of hide-the-salami is what Kanakuk had in mind, Pete. Even more disturbing to me is that K-Kountry is a camp for children ages 7-11, so I think it’s quite probable that Pete groomed or molested boys even younger than those listed in court documents.
On Monday, the Taney County prosecuting attorney charged Newman with second-degree statutory sodomy, two counts of sexual misconduct with a child under 15, and enticement of a child under 15 years old. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Tuesday, and is free on bond awaiting his next hearing in OctoberOctober reviews
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12:25 pm on September 16th, 2009
I’m sure it makes the parents of these boys feel good knowing this pervert is out on bail. Here’s hoping he gets what he deserves.
12:27 pm on September 16th, 2009
oooh, video. Thanks Morbid, you GQ bastard.
12:36 pm on September 16th, 2009
For some reason, organized Christianity and child molestation have gone hand-in-hand through the ages. Ireland is now dealing with what it calls “decades” of child sexual abuse by its Catholic clergy throughout the 20th century. How many more pastors and ‘Christian’ youth counselors will use Jesus to get into a kid’s pants? It’s disgusting, and for all the guys who get busted, there are most likely dozens more.
12:42 pm on September 16th, 2009
How does one get away with this for so many years without a child telling someone…how do I make my son understand that if ever something of this nature happened to him he is to come to me IMMEDIATELY?
12:52 pm on September 16th, 2009
No prob. Figured this guy deserves the treatment.
2:23 pm on September 16th, 2009
I know what your saying moscow04, but remember there are plenty of molestors that are “bad people” as well. I think it is just more shocking when it’s someone you’re supposed to trust.
6:57 pm on September 16th, 2009
You don’t leave your children alone with those you perceive as being “bad people”. You entrust them to good god-fearing folks. Of course, that gives pedophiles a lot of incentive to come across as “good people,” hence my distrust of all good people. I’m only going to let Hell’s Angels and Crips babysit for me.
I’d really like the answer to this as well.
7:08 pm on September 16th, 2009
An infinite number, I’m afraid. Just like spiders will make their webs near lights because they know the flies are attracted, all predators, especially human ones, will be compelled to locate themselves where they’ll get the best access to prey.
We can’t prevent this.
Edit:
Buahahahahah!
9:02 pm on September 16th, 2009
Sleazebag..and I thought my memories of summer camp were bad. I vote for castration.
10:13 pm on September 16th, 2009
and to think i shook hands with that sodomizing son of bitch
10:58 pm on September 16th, 2009
he’s a nice looking guy, too bad he’s going to have his pretty face ejaculated on.
12:36 am on September 17th, 2009
It’s always the wolf in sheeps clothing! Always, that does the most harm.
If a child is armed with the knowledge, that it is okay to question an adults authority over them, especially if said adult makes them uncomfortable and that it is okay to tell parents their feelings, because most children have an inner mechanism that puts them on alert and uneasy around a potential pedo, good vs. evil if you will, as long as parents stress that they come to them about anything and everything, even if it’s a minor topic and the parent/s must truly listen when their children speak. Especially about an authority figure in their life, because most of the time they are ashamed if they feel fear of someone before any molestation occurs.
Always trust your childs intuition and perception of an adult. They are usually correct.
3:59 am on September 17th, 2009
Um, by talking to him about it?
Seriously, I’m not a parent, but I had parents and I was a child; my parents made it very known to us that our bodies were our own and no one had the right to touch or hurt us in any way.
Talk to your children in a matter of fact manner about inappropriate touching from anyone (strangers and ppl they know), and also about any touching that makes them uncomfortable – a pat on the back from someone they know may seem innocent enough, but if it makes your child feel anxious in any way, then they need to let you know about it ASAP.
And finally, don’t just have this conversation once, but remind your child(ren) of this situation from time to time, to insure that they understand how vital it is for them to tell someone if anything untoward should happen to them.
Predators will often groom a child long before attempting downright molestation, and often threaten the child’s family in some fashion to try to assure the child’s silence.
By repeated conversations with your child, you help to remind and reassure them that you always care and will help to protect them from anyone who may harm them, no matter what.
HTH,
5:44 pm on September 17th, 2009
I don’t know that you can. Most molestation victims feel an IMMENSE amount of guilt and shame over what happened to them. I can only imagine that gets magnified when it comes to boys being molested by men
2:07 pm on September 18th, 2009
Not a know it all, but I speak from persoanl experience (my young teen daughter was molested last year) and professional experience as well. Yes, talk with your kids, tell them what is and isn’t appropriate, their body is theirs, all the same things you always hear. BUT if you treat your child as if what they say is important ALWAYS, allow them to have an opinion and be an individual, make them feel worthy and that their feelings matter REGARDLESS of their age, and BELIEVE them until proven otherwise it will go a long way toward making it easier for them to tell. At least, this is according to my child who lived it. She explained to us, the police and other professionals why she called us immediately when it occurred and requested to go to the police. She was raised to feel she would always be heard and believed and not only that but that when she spoke what she said was important to us. It was emotionally wrenching, but I was so proud of her.
With that being said, we do the best we can and hope that it is enough. :\
4:22 pm on September 20th, 2009
“Lord, save me from your followers..”
5:54 pm on September 21st, 2009
Allegations means not proven. Innocent until proven guilty. I have known this man my whole life (I am 27) and hope that the truth in all of this comes out, not just angry people feeling vindicated because they want to see punishment dealt regardless of what really happened. Apologies and admissions were made by him, but it has not been made public what was admitted and what actually took place. He has plead not guilty and we shall see what comes of it. All I hope for is justice and truth to prevail…especially if it means that what is alleged actually happened. No one should get away with sexual misconduct with a minor. I would also hope that we who live in America would cling to justice and truth above all and see what the truth is before we condemn someone.
7:36 am on September 24th, 2009
What a horrible way to write this post. I’ve been working with people for over 15 years and have helped kids and adults from the negative effects of molestation or rape. Your attitude and the way you word this post is as disgusting as what Pete may have done. Think of the young men who are really hurting right now and how they would feel if they came upon your post! These boys will google about what has happened to them and then they will be exposed to your “play on words” and overall dishonoring attitude. I would hope you have the maturity to edit your post and actually report responsibly what has happened because of Pete and to these boys.
8:24 am on September 24th, 2009
Ever heard of the phrase about hoping in one hand and shitting in the other? Well it kinda applies here. Aside from the fact that we are not mature, and we are not reporters. This was not a news report. It was a blog post from someone summing up their feelings about a news report that was sourced. Last I checked, it was still legal and quite common to express opinions about news reports.
You don’t like the opinion of the author? Great. Voice that and move along. Got an issue with the “facts” of the case? Then go take it up with the sources. But until other facts come up that may (or may not) change the opinion of the author, you’ll never see anyone here “softballing” or editing their opinions just to ensure people like you feel we did it right, or worrying about what someone may think because they Googled their name.
If Pete was not fondling the cocks of young boys under the guise of teaching them about Jesus, so be it. We will add that to the article once he is found not guilty. It happens on rare occasions. But if not, I am sure there will be even more choice words said about Pete and his alleged love for young penis. I suggest you just don’t come back here if that thought upsets you any. In fact, I suggest that to anyone associated with this story.
7:56 pm on September 26th, 2009
Hi. I’m Mike and I was one of the campers in Pete’s cabin years ago.
No. I was never molested.
I just found out about the story about an hour ago from my mom.
I’m 25. My guess is that me and InformednotConformed knew him before he started molesting kids.
I went to Kanakuk for about 6 years, till I was too old for it. I loved that place. I’m not sure how old I was when I was in Pete’s cabin (too lazy to dig up old records and do the math), but I would have fallen right in the age range of his victims.
This is kind of a shock for me. Pete was my favorite camp counselor in all my years going to the camp. He must have been promoted after I left, because the news stories call him a director of something. He was just a counselor when I was there.
We had two counselors in the cabin, for about 15-20 boys. I remember one day when we had an activity to do, and they were splitting up the cabin. For some reason they let the boys choose which counselor they wanted to go with, and just about everyone chose Pete. He was everyone’s favorite. You could tell the other counselor (See? I can’t even remember his name. But I remember Pete’s.) was upset that all the kids liked Pete better. I remember seeing the dissapointment in his eyes, but ignoring it because I wanted to go with Pete more than I wanted to make him feel better. I felt kind of guilty about that, which is why it stuck in my mind.
I don’t know. Maybe being charming is just a tactic for some of these guys. But that’s what he was. Charming. MadeaBecBec said
but my intuition didn’t give me a single clue. He met my parents, and my little sister. They didn’t get any off vibes about him either. He seemed to me, to them, and to everyone it seems, to be the perfect camp counselor. That’s part of what makes this upsetting.
I don’t agree with InformednotConformed exactly. It seems like they have a whole lot of evidence against him. He’s probably guilty. I’m not with his harsher critics either though. A lot of people seem to like reflecting on how he will be treated in prison, and talk about castration, but I don’t know about all that. I think Pete was probably someone who was struggling with immoral impulses (and I’m not using that in a religious way. Many years later I became an Agnostic.) and he failed to resist those impulses. He failed repeatedly.
After all, he wouldn’t have confessed (to whatever extent he did confess) to Joe White if he didn’t feel a ton of remorse. Hell, its not like the police were hot on his trail. If he had wanted to keep molesting boys he could have gotten away with it for the foreseeable future. He risked the loss of his job, his relationship with his family, really his relationship with anyone who ever knew him, and serious prison time when he confessed. There had to be a hell of a lot of guilt for him to do that.
I’m not saying we should give him a slap on the wrist either. He could have quit his job and stayed away from children if he had wanted to. The right thing to do would be to remove that temptation from his life. He failed at that, and so he deserves to go to jail. Somehow I still feel sorry for him though.
I guess its different when its someone you actually know. You see them as people, and not as monsters. I guess that’s my take on this mess. Thanks for reading it.
10:54 pm on September 26th, 2009
Thanks Warlain , for a well put post with an informative view. Guess we all struggle with immoral impulses from time to time.
3:27 pm on November 12th, 2009
I want you to know that I WAS a victim of Pete Newman…..I hate how you made kanakuk look like the bad guy…Pete was doing these terrible things and kanakuk had no clue…OBVIOUSLY….so fuck you for making kanakuk look terrible…it makes me laugh to see people diss on christian things for trying to help kids….if they knew about it dont u think they would have fired him 9 years ago????? duh….so you dissing on kanakuk shows how fucking shallow and stupid u really are
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