A Louisiana Republican professional and pastor has stepped again from his put up as headmaster of a Christian college after his 2nd arrest in two months over alleged cruelty to kids.
John Raymond, pastor of Slidell’s New Horizon church and an elected member of the St. Tammany Republican Parish Government Committee, was once arrested Monday through the Slidell Police Division and charged with 2nd level cruelty to juveniles.
The arrest stems from an incident at Lakeside Christian Academy, a kindergarten thru twelfth grade college that he based and led. Raymond is accused of abusing a 4-year-old pre-Ok scholar on a couple of events, together with preserving him the wrong way up through the ankles and time and again whipping him at the buttocks.
The varsity despatched a letter to folks and group of workers Monday pronouncing that Raymond was once taking a voluntary depart of absence, NOLA.com reported.
Ultimate month, Raymond was once arrested on 3 counts of cruelty to juveniles after he was once reported for allegedly taping 3 scholars’ mouths close as punishment for “over the top speaking” the month earlier than.
Since that arrest, different witnesses have come ahead to document further incidents, some relationship way back to 2017, in keeping with a information free up from the police division.
There have been a number of reported incidents involving the pre-Ok scholar. Police mentioned the kid would every so often have “tantrums” the place he would cry and scream. To forestall the boy from doing so on one instance, Raymond allegedly positioned his give up the kid’s nostril and mouth till he went limp.
In keeping with police, a group of workers member instructed Raymond to prevent after watching the boy was once having problem respiring and was once not able to face. In any other incident, the kid was once allegedly dragged throughout a ground through his ankles after he refused to depart with Raymond.
Slidell Police Division
Police mentioned their investigation was once ongoing as they interviewed further witnesses related to different allegations towards Raymond. He was once launched Monday on a $7,500 bond.
After ultimate month’s incident, Raymond defended himself in a remark at the college’s website online. He argued that he gave the disruptive scholars a call: “We will be able to both cross downstairs and speak to your folks and you’ll wait within the foyer to be suspended, or you’ll get tape to your mouth and learn to be quiet all over magnificence.”
“The scholars all selected tape and I pulled off one piece at a time and sparsely positioned it over their mouths ensuring that it didn’t contact their nostril or intrude with their respiring. At no time was once tape wrapped round any scholar’s head,” he wrote.
Raymond may be a member of the Republican State Central Committee, the governing frame of the Louisiana Republican Birthday party. In 2018, he ran unsuccessfully for the Louisiana Area of Representatives.