Renee at Bethel Girls Academy (From:Reddit)

The Reddit message board did just publish yet another story, which we have chosen to re-publish in full.

All rights belong to the original author.

Hello my name is Renee Newsome, I attended a school in Petal, MS called Bethel Girls Academy. I was there for 10 months. The program is now shut down. It was shut down by the DHS in Mississippi in February 2005. I was there when they shut down, to a point I was saddened because I knew I needed help but this place only made my situation worse by far.

I didn’t have the greatest childhood, i didn’t have a real mom or dad, things happened to me, I was abused and neglected. And my real dad was in prison he had no choice but to sign his rights off to the government. My great-grandmother spent money to bring me out of my mom’s side of the family to bring me into my dad’s side. Problem is, I was very young, I only knew sex and violence I didn’t have a foundation set for me as a youngster. My first 31/5 years were hell. And when my Aunt tried to make things right, it didn’t help due to I was being severely spoiled. We tried many different public schools, my social skills were lacking big time. I would pick fights I didn’t care about anything unless it was myself. I was about 4 years old and things started to happen on my dad’s side of the family. And it did not stop till I was placed into Bethel Girls Academy. I started to tell close family members and friends what was going on. When my Aunt caught word of it she did not believe it and flat out called me a liar.

She tried to seek counseling for me to have the truth covered by lies. Well I quit going to these sessions and decided that suicide was my best option. I tried twice, and failed.

The night the transporters came to take me to the school I had taken around 30 sequel that night. Hence the beginning, of my hellish journey.

I was woke up I was very drowsy and really didn’t care where I was going as long as I getting away from Michigan. I went willingly I had a man and a woman for transporters. There were very nice to me. But never did I expect what lied ahead 10 hours later. We made it down this long dirt road and I seen this building with a pool in front. I knew this place seemed like a prison and I wasn’t even inside yet. As soon as I walked in the doors I was greeted by Herman Fountain Jr. He led me to his office and asked me why I was here. I said because I was violent, and my grandfather sexually abused me, he flat out called me a liar. I knew then we would never see eye to eye while I was there. I was told to take my clothes off and put on used uniforms the program had. A higher level girl was in charge of me. I was in orientation the whole time I was there, I refused to be programmed like most of the girls there. School was a joke by far, the schooling program they had there, wasn’t even accredited by real schools. I learned this when I went to another program and I had to re-take 10-12 grades.

Level 1 girls had to ask for permission to speak, permission to talk, permission to go to the bathroom, permission to even write. If you failed to ask permission you would have to endure endless hours of military style exercising, bends and thrusts, male push-up, pull ups, duck walks, bear crawls, squats keeping your hands straight out staying in this position many minutes. To the point you were going to fall over. One day I was minding my own business, and a girl called me a whore, I called her a bitch next thing I remember I had 15 girls on top of me beating me, staff were rooting them on as I fought my way out, I cussed and screamed even at staff, I fought with a female staff member, nothing can compare what Mr. Fountain would have me do. I had to wake up at 3am go outside with a spoon and dig a hole in the ground until 8pm at night. I told him you can do what you want to me but I will not break for you nor anyone else.

Soon after I tried running from the program US soldiers and staff came after me tackled me and said we are going to make you exercise ever demon in you out, this was my breaking point to say fuck all of you and this hell, 15 hours of pure exercising and hell, at this point I was inviting demons in me lol at least they would give me energy to endure all this hell.

Mr. Fountain himself came in that day 15 hours later, took me into the orientation room and asked me if I was still going run, I said if given the opportunity again hell yes I will run. To bad i didn’t try and run again. I had to stand in the corner for 10 hours for days. Endless hours of running around in a circle outside some girls passed out, some girls were denied medical care, ie asthma breathing machine before and in middle of the running, bear crawls, and ducks walks. Water was a something you had to earn, 5 miles of running got you water, 2 miles of bear crawls got you water, 3 miles of duck walks got you water. Otherwise you suffered, and passed out. More than once girls would pass out, and ice cold water would be thrown on them and they have to keep running, this happened to me as well, the third time was a charm, they had to take me to hospital. for a heat stroke and being severely dehydrated. I was in the hospital for 20 hours give or take a few on that. At least I got 4 days vacation from exercising that when things started to look up for me.

I was getting in less trouble and started to do my program, so for the next week or two, I was in a small room with only a tape player. No food no shower for those days either. I had to listen to Herman fountains dads preaching tapes from 5am-8pm. There was as small cabinet in there I was so hungry that I went thru it and found instant coffee and flavored creamer. I tell you what, dried coffee and creamer never tasted so good in my life before this.

One day we were in the pool having a good old time in the water. All of a saddened I did not feel good. And I knew this feeling from being home and being stung by yellow jackets, and sweat bees. I went inside hardly able to breathe said I needed to go the hospital right now, no one listened to me, after about 45 minutes I could feel I was starting to slip away, I had hives covering my body, I was swollen it looked like I was a balloon. A higher level girl had to help undress me to get into dry clothes. It took this place an HOUR to make sure I wasn’t lying about being deadly allergic to bees, they called my Aunt, my Aunt told them, are you crazy when she says she got stung take her hospital immediately. We finally made it the hospital I was taken straight to ER, doctors came in and told me if they waited another 5 minutes I would have died. I was in the hospital again for 24 hours. I was on special medicine for 2 weeks for the hives and swollenness. My exercising was limited to not very much. I was placed in a room for the rest of days until the program shut down only myself, and no one else was allowed in my room. Finally got what I wanted. We were forced to go to church ever Sunday morning; we would stay at the church all day long until after Sunday night service. Some girls would sleep on the benches while some girls had to exercise for a while for any thing out of line. I remember one time a girl was sent to this program she looked at the boys, Herman Fountain Sr. at the alter told the staff to take her to the back and have her exercise the remaining of the service. I was applauded because this girl has seizures with any amount of stress or excessive exercising. Well she had three seizures that day, she was taken to the hospital, and never returned to the hell whole. Her parents came into Bethel, and had filed a lawsuit against bethel. I do not know how far they actually got with that.

Soon before Bethel shut down a girl came into the program she was 15 and pregnant, Mr. Fountain forced her to have a abortion, she came back to the program sickly, after our meal and shower time, 3 men came to take her to Tranquility Bay in Jamaica. Never heard from that girl again.

There was a snake in the kitchen, the girls were afraid, so was Herman fountain WOW! I picked up the harmless garder snake and took it outside. The staff put a child at rick, though the snake was not harmful, but what if it was???

There was a major staph infection outbreak in that place. Sanitation wise I’m surprised other infections were not caused to the body. No one had proper medical treatment so this shit was spreading from one girl to the next like a wild fire. Luckily, I stayed my distance away from these girls. Though I did get a skin condition called hydradenitis supperitva. It’s a major acne infection, and in severe conditions causes mrsa infection. Which I have had.

Girls would get bronchitis, severe colds, all that given was home remedies no doctors basically you stuck thru it and still had to do excessive exercising in summer, winter, spring, and fall.

I was threatened Tranquility Bay by Mr., Fountain, I told him my aunt would never allow it, he said we will see about that, 15 minutes later he came back and said I was right. I proceeded to say even you can’t break me. He said I’m gonna send Sgt. Knox to speak with you from the boys home.

So this short black man, with a pissy attitude worse than a rattle snakes attitude. Screamed, and spit on me saying, either get with the program or he was gonna make me sweat blood, and I could not stop until the walls would sweat blood with me. Mr. Fountain told him to give me a example. Sgt. Knox made me roll in the mud outside and come inside and exercise till my legs gave out. 2 hours later he said if he gets called back here, I’ll be transported to Tranquility Bay, I said I already told you all my aunt won’t allow it so go ahead try your luck either way I can’t and won’t be broken you or anyone else. Sgt. Knox looked at me and said you’ve been here 10 months and not much has changed with you. He said I guess your right your never gonna change people might as well give up on you and throw the keys away. He said, I was asking to be molested by my grandfather, that I was a whore, and slut and not even meds could help that. Mr. Fountain always called the girls freak shows, whores or whatever he felt like. He also had the upper level girls punish the lower levels hitting, punching, kicking, spitting, whatever that upper level girl wanted to do to a lower level. These girls were trained to be violent. But some were against it that’s why the girls started a riot and hell was shut down. Our parents had 24 hours to get us or we were going to be under Mississippi child services. A lot of girls were seriously injured by staff. The program about 3 months before it shut down Mr. Fountain had a hired a “so-called” therapist to come and talk to the girls each week. Well after about 3 weeks I noticed a lot of the girls were really flirtatious with him. My suspicion was heighten but didn’t say anything until one day a girl came to my isolated room and said can I talk to you, I said sure what’s wrong, she started crying, she said that this man (I forgot his name), had touched her in a sexual matter, I said have you told Mr. Fountain? She said no. No sooner than she said no, I heard Mr. Fountain coming down the hall in the dorms, I said this girl is saying that man touched her in a sexual matter. About 6 girls came forward and said same thing. he looked speechless I said is there a camera in that office he said no. I said I might be stupid in your eyes but you may want to get a camera in that room to see if this shit is true.

The very next day he got a camera installed in that room and come to find out the girls were telling the truth. The man was fired as far as i know no charges were pressed against him.

What I and many other girls went through was insane and crazy. Some girls would get caught, taking care of there sexual urges when they thought no one was looking. Staff would be called in and the girls forced by military personal to work out that urge thru hellish exercising and scriptures from the bible being forced down our throat for how wrong it was to do this. We were called disgusting, sluts, whores, and many other names. Almost everything was a crime in that placed. And it was all under military I felt like I was going through boot camp than getting the help I needed to be successful in life. They should have at least let us gave us a damn trophy for doing the exercises and the lengths that adults would do in basic training.

It was all about the money and not what the child needed. I admit I needed the help, to a point this place which was under the WWASPS, meaning World Wide Association of Schools and Specialty Programs. They do not care what happens to you, family, as long as you live in pain then that makes them happy. This organization is a fucking living nightmare. Please avoid sending any child to a WWASPS program do your research first. Save your child from a world of suffering, pain, and not being able to be in the real world. If you are a WWASPS survivor you can contact me personally at 517-581-4836 or greed1888@gamil.com and I will help you thru and give you advise. Again my name is Renee Newsome and I approve this letter.

Sources:

• The original testimony on the Reddit message board
• Factsheet about the facility (Fornits Wiki)

Book: RELIGION'S CELL

Doctrines of the Church that lead to Bondage and Abuse
By Cynthia McClaskey

About the book:

Beginning with a firsthand account of her own subjugation within a fundamentalist sect, McClaskey moves forward with detailed and extensively referenced explanations of the God-intended role of woman.

Along the way, she provides explanations of how man, in seeking to retain power and authority in both religion and the world, has relegated woman to a subservient position in both areas, in violation of God's intended plan.

McClaskey's evidence is compelling and her logic flawless as she argues against the God-as-stern-judge mentality that permeates most modern religious sects and emphasizes the true nature of God as a loving father --a father who wants only the best for both genders of His crowning creation. She points out that Christ surrounded himself with women and that women played major roles in the early years of Christianity, providing copious scriptural support for her position.

In addition, McClaskey also takes the initiative to cover the three most destructive man-made doctrines taught as Bible truth. She exposes through meticulous scriptural and historical support, the truth behind these doctrines and the far reaching tentacles that they have and, the effects they have had on the populous.

Source:
Homepage of the book

Cody Seth Crawford at Dundee Ranch

This testimony covering abuse at Narvin Litchfield’s Academy at Dundee Ranch in Costa Rica was sent to us from the author Cody Seth Crawford who maintains the all the credits. Here is his testimony:

My life began as an uneventful birth at a local hospital in Portland Oregon, on September 26 – 1986. I was a good baby as my mother puts it. I was not a crier and would sit where I was put. I was the second male child of two proud parents, Ted and Robin Crawford. My dad worked at Boeing as a machinist and my mom was still working real estate selling mobile homes.

I was the first Newberg school district kid to be put into early intervention (Special Education) in 1991 for unspecified central auditory processing disorders. School was tough for me as I was always the butt of jokes and it seemed like people would just choose me as an easy target for their frustrations. Fast forward to when I was eight and lucked out by getting big role in a movie! I was cast as Michael Cunningham in the Hit NBC miniseries “DEAD BY SUNSET” (1995). I also did a lot of radio and television commercials, and was a cast member of the Portland Opera for 2 years.

I did not start drinking until a neighbor that owns a vineyard and was trusted by my family would give me wine mixed with cool aid when she would volunteer to watch me and my brother. We ate cheese pizza and got smashed and I was only nine. I subsequently was abused and did not report it at the time. My father took my movie money and split the day before my tenth birthday. All the abuse was kept hidden from my mom, who does not drink. This went on until I was 11.

I was 13 when I started using Cannabis to calm my anxiety and fears. At the time I thought of it as a medicine that kept me stable as I had a new diagnosis of NON VERBAL LEARNING Disability,, My friend Channing Hammonds introduced me to the drug. I was in 8’Th grade and the only student that was in Special Ed and the Nova program (talented and gifted) at my school. I was doing a special project on medical marijuana for the Nova class and got in too deep into the druggie culture at the school.

I was arrested for distributing! My name was associated with cannabis so I was to blame. I was no longer able to self medicate away my life problems with cannabis (pre-trial drug testing), so I switched back to alcohol. This was a horrible mistake. My friend Channing lived a rougher life and came from a broken home. It was not a great leap for us to steal the first couple of cases of wine from the Red Barn tasting room on the Maresh Winery in Dundee Oregon. We each had a motive, mine was to suppress pain and take back from my abusers, Channings was money (he sold his part he did not drink). We stole wine from the same place three times. This was all one summer in 2001.

My drinking increased and four more teen boys were subsequently involved in stealing alcohol with me. I finally got to trial and all the charges were stacked so high I saw no exit. I had been in and out of the Yamhill county detention lock-up more times than I could count by then. But my mother’s sister Jamie Baxter offered hope! Jamie and Jeff(her husband) told a wonderful story of therapeutic youth reform through the wonderful WWASP program(World Wide Association of specialty Schools and Programs). I was rooting for it too, since Judge Collins gave me an option of graduating the WWASP program before my 18’Th birthday or be award of the state till I was 21. Jeff Baxter testified in Collin’s courtroom about how the WWASP program had saved his own son Steven (my cousin) and how I would not receive corporal punishment. And how all my special needs would be met! The program had a representative testify over the phone as the Judge looked through the glossy pamphlet about the Academy at Dundee Ranch. I was so hopeful that I would finally get the therapy that I so desperately needed! Reality check, my mom was court ordered to pay 2,000 a month in tuition when she had lost her job. I was released from juvenile hall and my mom and sister drove me to San Francisco where I got a passport in only two days. Then I was on a plane to Sanjose Costa Ricca. I was positive and so hopeful.

My first day at Dundee, after driving for what seemed like hours in the middle of a huge jungle and past smoke spewing volcanoes and crossing a mountain range the climate was like someone left the shower on highest heat and shut the door. I was sweating, and had on shorts. My mother and sister were not allowed to examine the School; they only got to see the preplanned show they put on for all parents and officials. I said good bye and that I loved them.

Narvin Lichfield, Mr Bailey and Locksley and Conrad had the control now. I was always trained to make eye contact with the people around me (special education) this was the first thing I was in trouble for since it was against the rules at Dundee. We ate nothing but rice and beans and water (I had not earned the privilege of meats and juice). I was in shock at the conditions. I was new and lowest level so I had a bunk in the hall, no air-conditioning, no mosquito nets, and we slept under a tin roof. There were bats and birds and all manner of insect that lived with us. As I recall the (dorms I was in housed over 100 boys). It was about 70 feet by 25 or so. The upper level students had rooms that slept from five to 8 students and they had fans or air-conditioners mounted in the windows - the windows with bars on them. We shared a toilet that was regularly clogged. There was no soap to wash my hands, and no toilet paper most of the time and we would use old magazines or worksheets that you would have to do when violating one of the many rules. We did line count first thing in the morning and before lights out. All students were required to walk in line formation to the front parking lot and Hollar our number in order. We had forty five seconds to a minute to jump out of our bunks and get our shoes on and be at that count - twice a day.

The upper level students were allowed to give us punishments; there were many cases of intimidation and black mail of first level students. Our education was a complete scam! The textbooks were nothing more than very badly photocopied textbooks with many of the pages unreadable and any color chart in theme made absolutely no sense! I was promised I would be allowed to use my special education laptop for my diagnosis of AUTISM. This was stopped by upper level students complaining to Daniel (family representative) that it was unfair that I was allowed to type assignments on the computer.

I was accused of smuggling in Marijuana! Mr. Locksley claimed to have found three cannabis seeds in my belongings. Instead of fighting them I had learned to go along with the program. So I wrote a 15,000 page S.A. in pen about how I had smuggled it in and what were my intentions. I consider it the greatest work of fiction I could ever write. I was not allowed a meal or restroom breaks until I completed the S.A. This was more than one day, but Mr. Locksley helped me with the content and told me specifically what to write.

Then I was put into Observation placement for one day. it is a little shed with two bare rooms about 7x7 and my face was pushed into human excrement by one of the staff. I was not allowed to look to see who. I was then made to kneel on my knees with my nose on the wall for the rest of the day. I was not allowed water and there were little stones that hurt to kneel on so much. I remember crying and being told that was punishable too. I also have a knee disorder that is genetic and is called Osgood-Schlatter Disease that made this worst.

I survived the punishment and was allowed to attend my first and only “SEMINAR”. The seminar was led by a red haired woman that appeared to be late forties /mid fifties. I had trouble telling if she was a she even. I remember beating the floor with a towel and cussing about how much I hate my parents (this was required of all Dundee students) we were screaming, crying, and forced to do this if you wanted to graduate. The girls we never saw were at the same seminar( in the computer lab) and were made to get up on the little “stage” and admit to being sluts and prostitutes , to call themselves bitches and whores! The audience was encouraged to join in and did cheerfully. I had never read the lord of the flies but this was it!

I was partnered up with a young woman. (About 14) that whispered to me she was raped at the school by staff. I was so concentrated on my own program that I did not do anything about this and knew to keep silent, don’t look people in the eyes and just stare at the ground. I was sick the whole time at the place, with some form of dysentery. I received no medicine for this and sometimes was not given my allergy medicine( I was allergic to rice) I had an asthma attack every day during forced exercise in front of the calm looking swimming pool. I remember MR. Baily say “look children, the nice cool water. You will never get to touch it”.

We did one to three hour workouts depending on the mood of the staff and if it was to unbearable for the staff to even sitting drinking ice water watching us. I would hear other kids screaming and begging for help from the observation placement, when they would return they would be silent and sometimes have many bruises on their body and face. We were not allowed access to a phone, my grandma was dying and I got one phone call of about 3 minutes, and they hung it up once I told her that it was bad there. The school was shut down and raided by the Costa Rican’s shortly thereafter and I was told I could leave. So I first left on my own through the jungle. I was caught by Mr. Locksley and Conrad (Jamaican staff/enforcers) they caught up to me in a mango grove. I picked up a tree branch then dropped it. Conrad and Locksley were on me and slapping me in my face. They got a call on their warlike talkie and I was put on the back of a motorcycle and driven to the school again. This time I got right off at the gate and ran to the Costa Rican police and he looked just as shocked at the situation. There were kids running loose, staff chasing kids, upper levels chasing lower levels with sticks.

I saw a Costa Rican woman and asked her to save me. I walked out the front gate past the armed guard with for other kids. We all jumped in the back of the PANNI truck which was driven by the woman. Me and CJ jumped out at the first town and flagged a taxi, the Taxi driver knew we had no money and only drove us to a little bar. We asked them for Water. We got real ice water! The police and the woman pulled up and we got back in the truck. I remember throwing my Dundee Ranch shirt out on the dirt road - A Farwell to that chapter of my life.

Me and the others were sent to a police substation were we all tried to call home. I do not believe any of us got through. It was nighttime now and we were loaded into a range rover that was set up for search and rescue. The one girl with us was intimately involved with one of the other boys now so they had a nice drive it would seem. We were taken to a children’s shelter, given a happy meal each and me and CJ went to the park right up the block to find a payphone, I remember a Costariccan man trying to talk Spanish to us that had followed us from the shelter. At the park CJ met a drug dealer and bought a joint for a handful of skittles the police had given him. We stood there smoked it right in front of the PANNI worker. I was calmed down then and wanted to get more happy-meals.

Me and CJ were transferred to a Bars on everything child orphanage in San Pedro. To me I thought it was a prison and a little boy from Jamaica that was there who the only English speaker was told me about how he was there for two years and had not seen his parents the whole time. I asked if he wanted to come, He said he was afraid. He was a big help and held my belt while I twisted it around the bars to the laundry room, I used a wooden leg I tore off the bunk beds as a leverage device. I had to strip nude to slip through. I then found myself locked in another room with no windows to get through. There was a metal roof however and I piled washing machines on washing machines and kicked with everything I had. It was noisier than a storm! I got through and jumped from the edge of the roof over a razor wire fence which was a 12 – 14 foot drop.

I was out to find the United States embassy, and was praying to be reunited with my family. I was not reported missing by WWASP or the Costariccans for ten days. I met my mom at the airport along with some journalist I had contacted through a Good Samaritan Named Isaac Wabe that was my street guide for the week.

This is a very simple condensed history of my time at the Academy at Dundee Ranch.

The Academy at Dundee Ranch was shut down by the authorities in 2003. However due to escape of the employees the legal proceedings against the owner was not successfully.

Source:
Factsheet of the facility (Fornits Wiki)