Down the trail from Brownwood

Camp under review
Operators charged with abusing boy

By PAUL A. ANTHONY, panthony@sastandardtimes.com or 659-8237
June 14, 2006
An unlicensed Quail Valley youth camp is under investigation - and its three operators under arrest - after allegations that the men abused at least one of the 11 boys at the camp.
Jason Brian Baker, 30, Robert James Kelly, 18, and James Edward Esther, 33, were arrested Saturday and remained in the Tom Green County jail on Tuesday, facing one charge each of injury to a child, according to the sheriff's office and jail officials.
The charge specifically relates to the beating of a 13-year-old boy, but investigators believe all 11 boys experienced some kind of physical abuse at U-Turn for Christ, a boot camp for children with discipline and substance-abuse problems, said Truman Richey, Tom Green County chief sheriff's deputy.
''This was not a licensed facility,'' Richey said. ''They had no training, to the best of my knowledge.''
The felony charge is punishable by as much as 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Kelly and Esther are being held in lieu of $150,000 bond, and Baker is being held without bond.
The Residential Child Care Licensing division of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services plans to investigate the facility, said department spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner, adding that operating such a camp without a license is illegal.
The three operators were among four adults affiliated with U-Turn for Christ, Richey said. A pastor affiliated with the camp was out of town this weekend, he said.
Baker, Kelly and Esther are accused of kicking a 13-year-old boy; Baker also is accused of throwing the boy to the ground, where he landed against a pile of rocks, according to affidavits filed Monday in Tom Green County Justice Court.
Investigators are looking into allegations that the men also made the other boys, who range from 12 to 17 years old, stand in a field with little or no water for several hours, Richey said.
Most of the boys live out of state, and Child Protective Services spent the weekend returning the children to their parents, Meisner said.
U-Turn for Christ, at 2065 E. Valley Drive about three miles north of San Angelo, formerly was run with a similar purpose for adults, Richey said, adding that he does not know when it started or when it was converted into a children's facility.
Jail records list the camp's address as the home of Baker, Kelly and Esther.
The camp first came to the attention of sheriff's deputies when a Tom Green County resident driving into San Angelo passed the facility and saw a boy sitting in a field, Richey said. The resident drove past several hours later and saw the same boy sitting in the same field, he said.
source: http://www.sanangelostandardtimes.com/sast/news_local/article/0,1897,SAST_4956_4773321,00.html