IN - Allegations of child abuse at Hephzibah House, Winona Lake, 2018

[Spellbound]

I hear you, Penhobby! WE hear you!
WS has some wonderful people who are willing to help.

 

[wdmcmahan]

Disgruntled and Penhobby, so much love and so many hugs to you both.

Disgruntled, last night I clicked the link to your blog. As my toddler and 8 month old sons played nearby I read the most recent post. The baby. I was sickened, horrified, furious, heartbroken... So many emotions at once. I had planned on reading as many of the posts as I could until I needed to tend to my babies, but I had to stop immediately and spent the rest of the night cuddling with and playing with my sons. Even as I write this now, I have tears running down my face from just thinking about it.

I just can't imagine going through what you did. Witnessing what you did.

We absolutely have to stop this. I can't just read about this, like I do daily with other WS cases, and do nothing.

So, I am here. I hear you both. Whatever you need me to do that I am able, please just let me know.

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[disgruntled]

I attended Hephzibah House from July-December in 1992. Disgruntled has done an amazing job detailing the horrific treatment that we all went through. So, there is not really much more I need to add. I am here for her. I hate talking about this. Oh hell, my hands are even shaking as I type this response. I will say this. The most horrific aspect of HH, for me, was the mental aspect.

Last March, after nearly 25 years, I finally decided it was time to get some help, as in therapy. I had never tried before. My mom tried to get me to speak to a Christian counselor right after, but I could not talk about it. I never talked about it. I did not ever tell my husband about it. I was told that therapy would help, but it would get worse, before it got better. They weren’t kidding. I started having night terrors every single night. I would wake up terrified, unable to go back to sleep. I would stay awake until time to go to work, and then come home to do it all over again. And every night, no matter how hard I tried not to, I would still visit HH in my dreams. I knew the smells in the dream, the scratchy texture of the urine soaked sheets under my fingers, but most of all I knew the suffocation of fear.

My first therapy attempt did not end well. I just wanted to sleep. I am fortunate that the second attempt was more successful. I had to take three months off from work to achieve that success, but it was a success. My therapist told me once that Hephzibah House raped our minds over and over again. That is exactly what it felt like. You arrived, a normal teenage girl, and by the time you left, there was nothing left of who you were. They took everything.

Welcome Sister!

 

[disgruntled]

Have you considered reporting your experience to the U.S. Attorney for Northern Indiana? The "school" could possibly be engaged in human trafficking of the girls who don't "graduate."

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndin/contact

That is a great idea. We have contacted the Attorney General. We did a letter writing campaign, but nothing came of it. It has always really bothered me how women stay after they turned 18. I know I had resolved that I was not going to get to leave when I turned 18 it is surreal to me how I desperately wanted out, but just accepted that my lot was to stay. I really believed that I would live out my days at Hephzibah House. It seems ludicrous to me now that most of the women who turn 18 at Hephzibah housesits stay. After I left Hephzibah House a former student who was there with me wrote to me detailing what happened to her when she actually did get the courage (well past 18) to ask to leave. She was locked in a closet and told to pray for hours while Williams was summoned. Then she was subjected to more hours of threats and pleas and rants and bullying until she agreed to repent and stay. I remember that they dragged her out to the room we were all in and she stood between two staff ladies looking pale and shaking. Her legs actually buckled a bit at one point as she sobbed and confessed her "sins" and was stripped of all the privileges she had held as a senior student. Years later in the letter she wrote she said she had agreed to stay and repent, but after that public confession she changed her mind and again asked Williams if she could leave. He then had her driven to a bus station and put her on a bus to Toledo. Her parents did not answer her calls when she arrived per Williams instructions and she had just 7.00 with no drivers license, no HS diploma, no social security number and no ID. She was walking down the streets of downtown Toledo dressed like a victorian rag doll. She said in the letter that Williams had told her if she left Hephzibah House she would end up a prostitute on the streets, and she felt like he tried to set her up to that end.
I really like the idea of focusing on the plight of the girls who have reached their majority and still are still locked in that basement.

 

[disgruntled]

I suggest you go either to the State Attorney General or the U.S. Attorney and use her as a reference/witness. This is too horrific to be dealt with on a small town level.

Very good suggestion, I never thought of that. I do think contacting the Attorney General again is a good plan.

 

[disgruntled]

I think peaceful protests away from the property where there is heavy traffic sounds like a good idea but sounds as though that has been done in the past?
Huffington Post is liberal slanting and they do investigative reports. At the end of most articles they ask for anyone with news or tips to contact them.


ETA...how about an online petition. If enough sign there might be pressure to investigate.

We have done three peaceful protests at the courthouse where we handed out flyers. I have recently learned that Williams is running a booth there now every 1st Friday. I think a booth might be a possibility, perhaps not on the same day, I cannot even imagine how stressful that would be.

We thought that protesting at the Hephzibah House compound was off limits because the road is restricted from foot traffic and it would be trespassing to be on his property. (He owns a huge swath of land on both sides of the road) BUT the college protests last year got my attention and I think that private property that opens itself up to the public or clients may not have the same protection. I may be able to legally protest peacefully at the end of their driveway.

We had quite a petition going for the HR911 bill. We had an online petition and also carried paper petitions for people to sign at our protests. Were you thinking a petition to rework or readdress the failed bill or a petition to get local oversight? Im not sure exactly what that would look like....maybe you have an idea?

I'm just so overjoyed with all these suggestions and leads and connections. I you don't see me responding here I am probably busy writing and organizing, I will be coming back to reference links and ideas tho. I wish I could just hug every one of you.

 

[disgruntled]

Someone posted yesterday about a letter that had been sent to the IndyStar investigative team that became the catalyst of the investigation and eventual prosecution of U.S. gymnast doctor, Larry Nassar.

Being since the IndyStar is based in Indianapolis, Indiana, maybe this would be a good place to start with sending them a letter and asking them if they would help? Maybe since HH is located in Indiana, they’d be more willing to check it out?

Here’s their email contact:
IndyStar Investigations Team, [email protected]

They have a whole team of investigative reporters there, but Steve Berta is the Investigative Team Leader.
phone: (317) 444-6280

Steve Berta’s email and Twitter:
https://www.indystar.com/staff/10047990/steve-berta/

Excellent! Thank you.

 

[osu]

If these girls are being held in the HH basement against their will, you could report the location to the Department of Homeland Security and let them open an investigation. .

https://www.dhs.gov/topic/human-trafficking


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[disgruntled]

ok ... I did it! Add any links, documents, etc. at

Hephzibah House — Media/Timeline/Resources NO DISCUSSION:

https://www.websleuths.com/forums/s...sources-NO-DISCUSSION&p=13891401#post13891401

:happydance: Amazing!! Thank you!

 

[disgruntled]

I thought this was going to be easy. Report it to the FBI. Done . Finished.

Nope. I had no idea this kind of thing was allowed to exist.

It has been incredibly frustrating to me that everyone knows there are children locked up with a lunatic with a PROVEN track record of sadistic abuse and every agency that should be able to help them just seems to shrug it off. I get that it is not easy and the law protects Williams and not the girls....but, really. There has to be something that can be done. I am willing to turn every stone. I am would be happy if he was taken out for tax evasion like Al Capone, just so he could no longer harm those kids.

 

[wdmcmahan]

There is a show on A&E called Escaping Polygamy. It follows 3 sister's who are former FLDS members. They got out years ago and work together to help others who want to leave the FLDS compound and others like it.

I'm wondering if they could help.

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[wdmcmahan]

Also... What about BACA? (Bikers Against Child Abuse) http://bacaworld.org

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[EuTuCroquet?]

Apologies if this has already been said — I’m catching up on this thread and wanted to post this while I’m thinking about it.

Disgruntled, you probably keep copies of everything you’ve written and documented before, yeah? The letters to the governor, etc.? Do you have copies of any statements taken by LE?

You (or a journalist) might need to file a Freedom of Information request to see what correspondence, investigation, etc. was done following your contact with the governor, LE, state legislators, church leadership, etc.

Perhaps even contact the ACLU in Indiana. If you haven’t already. I interpret this abuse and unlawful restraint as a civil rights issue. They might be willing to get involved; even file a suit on the victim’s’ behalf.

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

Also, is this “religious” organization receiving money from somewhere to fund this atrocity?

 

[kimlynn]

We have done three peaceful protests at the courthouse where we handed out flyers. I have recently learned that Williams is running a booth there now every 1st Friday. I think a booth might be a possibility, perhaps not on the same day, I cannot even imagine how stressful that would be.

We thought that protesting at the Hephzibah House compound was off limits because the road is restricted from foot traffic and it would be trespassing to be on his property. (He owns a huge swath of land on both sides of the road) BUT the college protests last year got my attention and I think that private property that opens itself up to the public or clients may not have the same protection. I may be able to legally protest peacefully at the end of their driveway.

We had quite a petition going for the HR911 bill. We had an online petition and also carried paper petitions for people to sign at our protests. Were you thinking a petition to rework or readdress the failed bill or a petition to get local oversight? Im not sure exactly what that would look like....maybe you have an idea?

I'm just so overjoyed with all these suggestions and leads and connections. I you don't see me responding here I am probably busy writing and organizing, I will be coming back to reference links and ideas tho. I wish I could just hug every one of you.

You would want to stay off his property so as not to get arrested. Anywhere that has heavy foot or car traffic would be ideal.
You also wouldn't want to protest on the property of any local business without permission.
For the petition I was thinking of (have to careful here due to WS rules) of a site such as Move on . org
I used to be a member there during the Bush years but that fell by the wayside during the Obama years.
Members can start a petition and it is signed by other members via emails that are sent...not sure how they are sent as I never started any petitions,but signed plenty that were sent to me.
Some I think are sent by members and some are sent by the owners of the org.
It's easy to sign up and the petition is just written as a brief story of what is going on regarding the injustice and then the signed petition is sent to who ever (I would suggest a figure that has the power to investigate but that is dragging their feet) you are trying to pressure into action on your behalf or the behalf of the victims.
They have millions of members and I have seen it work...power in numbers.
They have also been involved in planned protests by contacting other members to join protests but I recall that is usually for political events.
Getting back to the protest....make sure you notify the media of times so they can send a reporter to cover it.

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

Just throwing this out; curiosity.

Is Hephzibah registered as any kind of nonprofit? Has it ever been? Or registered under some sort of foundation? If so, it would have to submit financials, which would be public record.

Maybe search by leadership names, organization name, church ...

Sources like Guidestar, 990 Finder, state registry websites; maybe there are public records.

Not sure that would be helpful in any way. But never hurts to check.

 

[dancemom]

I am shaking as I read this thread... It's unbelievable that so many people know about this place and its abuses, yet it is allowed to continue to exist!!

I first heard of Hephzibah House from a post at The Wartburg Watch a couple of years ago. That blog has recently gotten a LOT of attention as they were the ones to break the story of Andy Savage, a Memphis megachurch pastor who sexually assaulted one of the teenagers in the church where he was youth pastor many years ago. The story was picked up by national media outlets. Anyway, is there any possibility of contacting them to see if they would do an update to help draw attention? I feel like the timing along with the #metoo movement might increase the chances of the story taking off.

Thank you for sharing your stories. When these young women are finally free, they will have you to thank, disgruntled.

 

[HayLouise]

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[adot0902]

Some more thoughts, because you all are so much better at figuring out who to write, and what petitions to start, I'm not even going to go there, because that is not my area. I'm going to look at some other avenues that could get this place shut down

1) Has anyone ever seen Hephzibah House's IRS Determination Letter, there are some interesting tax laws with making sure all donations be funneled through the church vs. through the school
2) Any chance we could figure out who the church has liability insurance through and maybe inform them of what is going on, I'm sure if they knew what a risk they were taking they would be dropped from the policy thus possibly putting them in danger of being unable to operate? (I'm sure we could figure out the Church's insurance company)

 

[Margo/Mom]

Just throwing this out; curiosity.

Is Hephzibah registered as any kind of nonprofit? Has it ever been? Or registered under some sort of foundation? If so, it would have to submit financials, which would be public record.

Maybe search by leadership names, organization name, church ...

Sources like Guidestar, 990 Finder, state registry websites; maybe there are public records.

Not sure that would be helpful in any way. But never hurts to check.

According to a statement from the school attached to an earlier post, they are a non-profit and file a 990. So, Guidestar should have it.