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| Two Arrests Result from Probe into Reports of Sexual, Physical Abuses at Camp Tracey By Jim McGauley Baker County Press July 3, 2008 http://bakercountypress.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1515&Itemid=1 An allegation the past week about sexual abuse at the Camp Tracey home for troubled juveniles in north Baker County resulted in the arrest of an 18-year-old resident on that charge, and the arrest of a 46-year-old male staff member for physical abuse of the 14-year-old male victim and possibly five others.Sheriff's investigator Brad Dougherty said he was interviewing camp residents June 26 on the sexual abuse charge when told by the boy and other male residents about incidents of physical abuse, some within the past two weeks, at the hands of Mr. Wilson. The residents ages 14-17 also revealed several engaged in sexual acts with each other, but no criminal charges will result because the acts were consensual, said the investigator. He indicated Camp Tracey officials said they would discipline the boys. Investigator Dougherty said Mr. Lewis had remained at Camp Tracey past his 18th birthday because he had nowhere else to go. The camp and school, located on a 160-acre tract between CRs 125-127 south of Taylor, is for youth under 18 who are referred there by courts, families and other agencies. The church-based camp has been there since 1982. Six boys accused Mr. Wilson during interviews of physically abusing them, acts ranging from choking, slamming their heads against a wall and throwing them to the floor. The investigator's report quotes one of the boys as affirming, "John Wilson has an anger problem that all of the juvenile residents are aware of ... [and] that when [he] gets angry with his wife or one of the residents, he will take it out on all of the boys." The child abuse count, a third-degree felony, alleges that on June 22, Mr. Wilson choked the boy and slammed his head against a wall. The boy told Investigator Dougherty that Mr. Wilson took a guitar away from him, and when he asked the accused why he did, Mr. Wilson said, "told him to sit down and shut up." The victim said he was then punished for not responding "Yes, sir." Mr. Wilson denied the allegations during questioning at county jail and asked to speak to a lawyer. "[He] also stated he did not tell other staff members [about the incident] because they would tell him that John Wilson is allowed to do that," continues the investigator's report. As for the alleged sexual offense, it involved Mr. Lewis approaching the same 14-year-old while working in a field and enticing him to a wooded area where they fondled each other. Mr. Lewis told the investigator "[he] really didn't see what the big problem was," and claimed he was unaware it was illegal. Camp Tracey is an arm of Harvest Baptist Church based in the Arlington section of Jacksonville. It is headed by Wilford McCormick, a Baker County native who named the camp after his late son. The camp's web site says it is "dedicated to the salvaging and changing of the lives of at-risk youth" and houses 40-50 at a time — boys and girls in segregated dorms. Camp Tracey has had a troubled past, including alleged abuse cases dating back to the 1980s that sparked a grand jury investigation in 1987. No indictments were forthcoming, but the panel of Baker County residents was highly critical of the operation. It chastised the camp administration for its "clandestine attitude." Rev. McCormick has long argued that Camp Tracey is church-operated and emphasizes Bible-based discipline and austere country living as a means of pulling youths out of destructive spirals. At least five former residents sued the church and camp, two in 2003 and three more in 2005. The allegations centered around sexual abuse and at least two of the actions were settled out of court. One of the accused perpetrators was Rev. McCormick's younger brother, who shortly after left the camp's employ. |
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