September 27, 2024

Slidell Pastor John Raymond Convicted of Cruelty to Juveniles

On September 23, 2024, a St. Tammany Parish jury deliberated less than an hour before finding 62 year-old Pastor John Raymond of Slidell guilty of multiple crimes relating to two incidents at Lakeside Christian Academy in which Raymond claimed he was simply administering appropriate discipline to misbehaving students. The jury returned guilty verdicts against Raymond on one count of second degree cruelty to juveniles and three counts of cruelty to juveniles. District Attorney Collin Sims, along with Assistant District Attorney Christina Fisher, prosecuted the case. Judge John Keller presided over the six-day trial.

According to testimony during the trial, Raymond was the founder and headmaster of Lakeside Christian Academy in Slidell. Several witnesses referred to him as the school’s “disciplinarian” yet school administrators conceded they sometimes attempted to keep him out of the school’s disciplinary matters due to the excessive methods he employed.

In March of 2022, the Slidell Police Department first became aware of such an incident at the school when multiple parents appeared in the station’s lobby upset about the manner in which Raymond had “reprimanded” their sons for speaking in class. They said Raymond had given their sons the “choice” of expulsion or punishment with the punishment being having strong-adhesive shipping tape wrapped around their heads to cover their mouths. Raymond told the boys if they removed the tape or said anything to their parents about it, they would be expelled. Raymond then sent the students back to class with the tape still in place. When Buffie Singletary, the school principal, was alerted to what Raymond was doing, she immediately demanded Raymond remove the tape and accompanied him to the classroom to ensure the tape was removed. According to accounts from various witnesses, the boys’ mouths were taped shut somewhere between 15 and 40 minutes. 

After investigating the incident, detectives with the Slidell Police Department arrested Raymond on three counts of cruelty to juveniles. Raymond’s arrest was widely covered by local news agencies which led several people to contact the Slidell Police Department and report another unsettling incident involving Raymond that had occurred five years earlier. That incident involved a 4-year-old “pre-K” student at Lakeside. During class, the boy had become irritable and wouldn’t settle down when nap time arrived. When his teacher attempted to get him to join the other kids on their mats, his behavior escalated into a tantrum. He was led to the principal’s office and once there, was provided a mat to lay on. He continued to fuss and kick his legs. As several staff members stood by, Raymond knelt down next to the boy and placed his hand over the boy’s mouth and nostrils. According to those staff members present, they heard muffled screams from the boy until his body eventually went limp. One of the women testified she thought the boy was dead. One of the staff members nudged Raymond’s shoulder to get him to remove his hand from the boy’s mouth and nostrils. After a short period of time, the boy regained consciousness. During the trial, the staff members who witnessed the incident were asked by prosecutors why they didn’t immediately report it to authorities. They said Raymond maintained a culture of intimidation at the school. He frequently belittled employees at the school, telling them that “anyone off the street can be a teacher” and that it required no special qualifications. It was made clear he hired them and he could fire them. He also convinced them that his disciplinary methods were permissible because he had “pastoral privileges” and was “spiritually ordained” to exact these punishments on children. Additionally, Raymond asserted the school handbook contained a provision authorizing the use of corporal punishment and that parents acquiesced to that provision when they enrolled their children in the school. During the trial, a copy of the handbook was introduced as a trial exhibit. The handbook made no mention of authorizing corporal punishment or anything similar.

In closing arguments following the conclusion of trial testimony, ADA Christina Fisher told jurors that contrary to Raymond’s assertion, “A biblical worldview does not give him the authority to touch students. Did the parents agree to him doing that? No, they did not.” In explaining why the kids were initially reluctant to tell their parents about the taping incident, she said their hesitation was born of both fear and misplaced respect.  She said “Raymond owned the school and everyone knew that” and “Kids are taught to respect adults.” When addressing the incident involving the 4-year-old, Fisher directed attention to testimony from Dr. Scott Benton, a board-certified expert in child abuse pediatrics. Dr. Benton explained that after being deprived of oxygen for 1½ to 2 minutes, a child can enter the “danger zone” of sustaining permanent brain damage.

During his closing arguments, defense counsel accused the witnesses against Raymond of committing several of Christianity’s “seven deadly sins”, specifically: wrath, greed and envy. He said “you saw me tear those witnesses apart.” He condemned the boys and their families, saying they were not seeking justice, but rather “jackpot justice.” He urged the jury to not be an unwitting participant in their scheme. He warned the jurors that if they convicted Raymond, prosecutors would soon come after parents whenever they used corporal punishment on their children.

In his rebuttal closing argument, DA Sims said “Raymond is anything but a teacher. He is a politician and a pastor with no training on how to operate a school. The school was failing and was on probation. He was the owner of a shiny as he built his brand. It is not a real school.” In response to defense’s claim that the families were simply seeking a payout, Sims said Raymond’s church, school and radio station were all financial failures, that there was no “jackpot” to be had. With respect to defense’s claim that if Raymond were convicted, the DA’s Office would then set its sights on prosecuting parents, Sims made it clear that this trial stood for the opposite. This trial sought to ensure parental rights were respected. Sims said “Parents are entitled to know what they are signing up their kids for.”

Judge Keller set Raymond’s sentencing for October 23rd. Second degree cruelty to juveniles carries a sentence of up to forty (40) years in prison and Cruelty to juveniles carries a sentence of up to ten (10) years in prison.

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