STOCKTON, Mo. (AP) – A southwest Missouri prosecutor said Tuesday he has charged five employees of a private Christian boarding school with abusing students – far fewer than the number of charges recommended by state investigators.
The five employees of the Agape Boarding School near Stockton were charged with a total of 13 third-degree felony assault counts, Cedar County Prosecuting Attorney Ty Gaither said.
The charges come after the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated allegations of abuse at the school.
Based on that investigation, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt recommended prosecuting 22 employees with 65 counts on behalf of 36 victims, including felonies for abuse of a child and tampering with a victim, and misdemeanors for endangering the welfare of a child and failure to report child abuse.
After Gaither said last week that he planned to charge far fewer employees than recommended, Schmitt asked Gov. Mike Parson to remove his office from the investigation because he didn’t believe Gaither intended to “seek justice” for all the victims.
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