Christian youth camp directors charged with dragging 15-year-old girl behind van
{{date|August 13, 2007}}

Charles Eugene Flowers and Stephanie Bassitt, who run Love Demonstrated Ministries in San Antonio, [[Texas]], [[United States]], have been arrested and charged with aggravated assault for tying a girl to their van and dragging her behind it on her stomach.

The victim had stopped running with a group of campers, after falling behind. She says Bassitt yelled at her while Flowers tied her to the van.

The girl was treated for injuries on her stomach, legs and arms. She reported that this was the second assault. Flowers and Bassitt remain in jail on US$100,000 bond each.

Love Demonstrated Ministries is a 32-day Christian boot camp for girls whose parents feel they are "at risk teens". Such camps have raised controversy before.

An organization called the International Survivors Action Committee maintains a list of U.S. organizations where numerous abusive incidents have been reported; however, their list should not be taken as exhaustive. Neither Love Demonstrated Ministries nor New Horizons Youth Ministries, which has an alumni site describing abuse appeared.

== Sources ==
*{{source|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070812/ap_on_re_us/girl_dragged;_ylt=AixgLuR27.9ex1Jt.fWZWHRI2ocA
|title=Police: Boot camp girl dragged with van
|author=
|pub=Yahoo! News
|date=August 11, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://www.religionnewsblog.com/18991/charles-flowers
|title=Pastor accused of dragging girl behind his van
|author=Jeorge Zarazua
|pub=San Antonio Express
|date=August 11, 2007}} (via blog)
*{{source|url=http://www.religionnewsblog.com/18992/love-demonstrated-ministries
|title=Christian Boot Camp for teen girls puts faith first
|author=
|pub=Dallas News
|date=August 11, 1998}} (via blog)
*{{source|url=http://www.reason.com/news/show/117088.html
|title=The Trouble with Troubled Teen Programs : How the "boot camp" industry tortures and kills kids
|author=Maia Szalavitz
|pub=Reason
|date=January 2007}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.isaccorp.org/ International Survivors Action Committee]
*[http://www.nhym-alumni.org/ New Horizons Youth Ministries alumni site]

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[[Category:Texas]]
[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Crime and law]]
Charles Eugene Flowers and Stephanie Bassitt, who run Love Demonstrated Ministries in San Antonio, Texas, United States, have been arrested and charged with aggravated assault for tying a girl to their van and dragging her behind it on her stomach.

The victim had stopped running with a group of campers, after falling behind. She says Bassitt yelled at her while Flowers tied her to the van.

The girl was treated for injuries on her stomach, legs and arms. She reported that this was the second assault. Flowers and Bassitt remain in jail on US$100,000 bond each.

Love Demonstrated Ministries is a 32-day Christian boot camp for girls whose parents feel they are "at risk teens". Such camps have raised controversy before.

An organization called the International Survivors Action Committee maintains a list of U.S. organizations where numerous abusive incidents have been reported; however, their list should not be taken as exhaustive. Neither Love Demonstrated Ministries nor New Horizons Youth Ministries, which has an alumni site describing abuse appeared.
Texas United States Religion Crime and law