Home Christian News Louisiana Pastor, Academy Headmaster Arrested for Juvenile Cruelty a Second Time

Louisiana Pastor, Academy Headmaster Arrested for Juvenile Cruelty a Second Time

John Raymon
Pictured: John Raymond preaching at New Horizon Church on May 1. (Screengrab via Vimeo)

John Raymond, Louisiana pastor and headmaster of Lakeside Christian Academy, has been arrested for the second time in two months and charged with juvenile cruelty. He has been accused of abusing a 4-year-old on two separate occasions through corporal punishment. 

Raymond is the founding pastor of New Horizon Church in Slidell, LA. Lakeside Christian Academy is a ministry of the church, enrolling students from preschool to 12th grade.

In addition to holding the titles of pastor and headmaster, Raymond serves as a member of the Louisiana Republican Party State Central Committee. He was also a contestant on CBS’s “Survivor” in 2002.

According to Slidell police, Raymond has been accused of holding a preschooler up by his ankles and “whipping his buttocks.” 

In a separate incident, Raymond also allegedly covered the nose and mouth of the student in response to a tantrum. The staff member who witnessed the incident reported that the young boy was held “to the point of him going limp.” After being released, the witness said that the child was “out of it and lethargic” and “unable to stand.”

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In April, Raymond was charged with three counts of juvenile cruelty after taping over the mouths of three 7th grade students for disrupting class. The students agreed to have their mouths taped after Raymond threatened to call their parents and suspend them. 

“We love all of our students at Lakeside and strive to maintain a safe and effective learning environment. Building character in teenage boys can be difficult. These students were given a choice between suspension and the temporary tape,” Raymond said in an April 10 statement defending his actions against the teens.

“They were never in any physical pain. Their breathing was never impaired. The tape was never wrapped around their heads. And it was off in under ten minutes. No student was ever treated with cruelty or harmed in any way,” the statement went on to say. 

Following Raymond’s initial arrest, police began investigating other allegations of abuse, some of which dating back to 2017. The investigation remains ongoing, and according to 4WWL, police are interested in finding more witnesses against Raymond. 

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Lakeside Christian Academy Principal Buffie Singletary told USA Today that Raymond has taken a leave of absence from the school.