You may have seen him on Survivor: Thailand, Season 5 of the reality competition show, but John Raymond‘s legacy will now be remembered as something much darker…
Last week, the 62-year-old Louisiana pastor turned himself in after being charged with three counts of cruelty to juveniles, according to the Slidell Police Department.
Wait, WHAT??
He’s known for his 2002 appearance on Survivor, but his day job the past few years has been as a pastor and headmaster at the Lakeside Christian School in Slidell, Louisiana — about half an hour outside of New Orleans. Seems like a an upstanding position, right? But local police launched an investigation after receiving a complaint from the Department of Children and Family Services in March of 2022. And what they found is absolutely deplorable!
According to the SPD, John allegedly removed a group of all 13-year-old students “from a classroom for excessive talking.” He then reportedly “became angry and brought the students to his office.” It all sounds like typical middle school principal stuff, until…
“At some point, Raymond took a roll of packing tape and taped the students’ mouths shut by wrapping the tape around their heads.”
WTF! He taped these kids’ mouths shut?! For talking too much??
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The SPD added:
“Raymond allegedly sent the students back to class for around 45 minutes before another school administrator felt uncomfortable with the situation and removed the tape from the students’ face. Due to the fact the tape was wrapped around the students’ head, it had to be removed with a pair of scissors. During the encounter, the students claim they had trouble breathing and that the removal process was painful.”
That’s absolutely despicable! Read SPD’s full statement (below):
He was also arrested months later in May of 2022 and hit with a second-degree child cruelty charge for reportedly placing his hand over the mouth of a 4-year-old child who was having a tantrum. The aggressive move apparently restricted the boy’s breathing and caused him to go “limp.” OMG…
In another incident, the reality TV alum allegedly held a child upside down by his ankles and “whipped him on the buttocks,” according to a statement by the SPD.
Holy s**t! These poor kids!
John appeared in court on Monday, but was released from police custody on Tuesday on $100,000 bond. After his court appearance, NOLA reported he said:
“I’m not guilty. I’ve never been cruel to a child, and I love children.”
He also claimed to be a victim of “cancel culture” … Dude, it’s not cancel culture. Being against CHILD CRUELTY is not “woke.” We’ve all always been against it!
His sentencing is currently scheduled for October 23, and he faces up to 40 years in prison.
If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org
[Images via CBS/Paramount Plus & Slidell Police Department]
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