Local Baptist camp being sued

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February 6, 2010

By HEATHER PYLES, Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Sat Feb 06, 2010, 06:29 PM EST

Somerset — An Ohio family is suing a local Baptist camp, claiming negligence on the part of the camp’s staff and owners led to the sexual molestation of one of the family’s children.

The civil suit, brought against Camp Victory, located on Camp Victory Road in Somerset, stems from a criminal investigation that took place several years ago after allegations of sexual abuse on the part of a minister traveling with a church from out of state arose.

The suspect named in that case, Claude Steven Harmon, 52, was the senior pastor of the Maineville Baptist Church, in Maineville, Ohio, at the time the allegations occurred, according to information provided by Det. Brett Whitaker with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department.

According to information from the case, Harmon traveled to Pulaski County with his church during the week of June 21 through June 26, 2004 for a junior camp, and again during the week of July 19 through the 24 for a teen camp.

The church rented and used the facilities at Camp Victory for those camps, according to information taken from the case.

The initial investigation into those allegations began in Ohio, when two male juveniles younger than 12 years old reportedly told their parents that Harmon had inappropriately touched and fondled the boys.

“In a subsequent interview with Harmon, he confessed to investigators in Ohio that he had committed these acts both in Ohio and in Pulaski County,” Whitaker stated in an e-mail to the Commonwealth Journal.

Harmon was indicted on two counts of first-degree sexual abuse by a Pulaski County grand jury in April 2005 — nearly a year after the alleged sexual molestation took place and after a joint investigation by Pulaski County and Warren County, Ohio authorities into those allegations took place.

Harmon is currently serving a 10-year prison term in the Chillicothe Correctional Institution, or CCI, after he pleaded guilty in April 2005 to no fewer than 10 counts of sexual imposition for fondling 9- and 10-year-old boys at the Maineville Baptist Church or living quarters next to the church, most of them between June and September 2004, according to the Dayton Daily News.

One charge dated back to 2001.

CCI is a state-run medium security prison located in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Now, the family of one of the victims named in the 2005 Pulaski County indictment is suing, claiming that “Camp Victory was negligent in its operation of the camp and as a proximate result of Camp Victory’s negligence, J. Doe (the victim) suffered ... molestation/sexual assault.”

That victim, now 14 years old, was nine years old when the reported assault took place.

The civil suit also stated that the victim “has suffered, is suffering and will suffer in the future, physical and mental pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life, and has and in the future will incur medical expenses for counseling treatment.”

The lawsuit also states that the victim’s parents and three siblings have also suffered and will suffer in the future loss of consortium — which means they have and will continue to suffer from the loss of aid, comfort or support from another.

Evangelist George Griffis, who owns Camp Victory, said on Friday when contacted by the Commonwealth Journal that he could not speak about the case, and referred questions to his attorney, Larry F. Sword, of Sword & Broyles Law Offices in Somerset.

Griffis did note that Harmon had never worked as a staff member for the camp.

A call was placed to Sword’s office and a message left last Friday, Jan. 29. Sword did not return the phone call by press time Saturday.

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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