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A Louisiana pastor who once competed on Survivor faces up to 40 years in prison after being convicted of cruelty to juveniles.
John Raymond, 62, the lead minister of New Horizon Church in Slidell, La., and founder and headmaster of Lakeside Christian Academy was found guilty in a jury trial that lasted six days.
Raymond, who claims to “protect the innocence of children in schools,” was accused of taping the mouths of three 13-year-old students in 2022 because they were talking too much, Law and Crime reported.
In a statement of his own, Raymond said he was dealing with a group of middle school students who chose to have their mouths taped over suspension.
Raymond was also convicted of second-degree cruelty to juveniles for putting his hand over the mouth of a four-year-old boy who was having a tantrum, which prevented the boy from breathing and made him go “limp.” He only stopped because a staff member intervened, police said in a statement.
Raymond also dragged the boy across the floor “by his ankles,” held him upside down and “whipped him on the buttocks,” cops said, according to Law and Crime.
The pastor continued to maintain his innocence after the verdict was delivered, saying, “I’m not guilty. I’ve never been cruel to a child and I love children,” NOLA.com reported.
Raymond, who was an elected member of Louisiana’s Republican Parish Executive Committee, serves on the Republican State Central Committee and was hoping to win a seat in St. Tammany Parish, said he was a victim of “cancel culture,” according to the outlet.
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Raymond’s attorney said that many of the 23 witnesses brought by the prosecution were unreliable — and the case was ultimately “in the crosshairs” of a “culture war.” He urged the jury while gesturing to the prosecutor, “Say ‘no’ to this woke prosecution that has come to St. Tammany Parish.”
However, the prosecutor responded by telling the jury, “It’s not wokeness. It’s, ‘Dude, that’s my kid. I didn’t tell you you could do that.’”
Raymond was a contestant on season 5 of Survivor, which was set in Thailand in 2002. He was the first castaway voted off the island.
During his exit interview, he told CBS that he believed his “comfort in the rugged environment maybe made some people uncomfortable.”
Raymond will be sentenced on Oct. 23. His bond is set at $100,000.