Police: Church sex abuse case may involve 24 children

[Dr.Phool]

I don't get the part where he was charged with crimes against humanity for having sex with animals.


Police: Church sex abuse case may involve 24 children
Louisiana pastor arrested and charged with child rape

Sunday, May 22, 2005 Posted: 2:35 PM EDT (1835 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/05/22/louisiana.church/index.html

[FlemingsGhost]

1. God Bless America

:puke:

[Old and In the Way]

2. Let me guess the MO.

* Loud, outspoken Conservative
* Pro-Bush Republican
* Big Promoter of RW-style "Family Values"

[NJmaverick]

3. They will not release his name

My bet he is a BIG republican donor.

[AnnInLa]

5. Not a big donor

Small-town fundie church in a small town. Seems like the sheeple would get wise, sooner or later.

[wakeme2008]

4. LOL this is Louisiana and their Laws and names for things are a little

different.

It took me a little while to translate "Police Jury" into "County Commissioners". :)

[amazona]

6. the names were released several days ago

You can search LBN or GD if you need the names. Don't know why CNN is being coy.


Here if you want all the pix and names, go the advocate news site:

http://2theadvocate.com/

Go to the video selections in the lower right hand corner and click on, "More arrests in Tangipahoa Sex Cult." Pictures and names of the arrestees are provided.

I think "crimes against humanity" is a typo and that bestiality is usually considered "crime against nature," but this is a broad category in Louisiana, since "crime against nature" can also refer to normal acts such as oral sex.

[FlemingsGhost]

8. Forcing one to perform beastiality might be what they have in mind

The article says the children were "taught" to perform sexual acts on animals.

[leftofthedial]

7. praise god, pass the tax-free money

and vote republican

[DoYouEverWonder]

9. Chris Labat and Louis Lamonica are the perps

Deputy, Pastor, Church Member Jailed In Child Sex Abuse

POSTED: 1:17 pm CDT May 18, 2005


Chris Labat


Louis Lamonica


PONCHATOULA, La. -- Tangipahoa Parish sheriff's deputies made a third arrest Wednesday in the ongoing investigation of a case involving allegations of sexual abuse of children and animals at a Ponchatoula church.

Austin Aaron Bernard III, 36, of SW Railroad Avenue, in Hammond, was arrested on a charge of aggravated rape of a child under the age of 13.

Police said Bernard confessed to detectives that he had sex with a young girl in November 2002 and admitted to knowing about alleged sexual acts involving children, dogs and cats that occurred at Hosanna Church, where he was a member.

Christopher Blair Labat, 24, of Lumino Lane, in Hammond, was booked Tuesday on one count of aggravated rape and one count of crime against nature.

On Monday, Louis Lamonica, 45, the former pastor of Hosanna Church, was booked with two counts of aggravated rape and one count of crime against nature after he walked in to the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office and said he could implicate others in a situation at the church that reportedly occurred two years ago.

http://www.theneworleanschannel.com/news/4503827/detail.html


They look like a loverly pair of clean cut, white bread, fristians.

[lovuian]

11. Bestiality they called it in the Bible!!! These men are animals!!!

The American Catholic Church is inundated with these men

wolfs in with lambs

and yet

they are the worst

Priests!!!

This is Satanic ritual stuff!!!

Beware false prophets and I begin to see the Catholic Church is totally infested being desperate for priests ... this is the result of the Celibacy Law!!!

[poppet]

14. Why are you talking about Catholics?

these people were not Catholic as far as I know. Husbands and wives were arrested together, and there is some speculation that their own children and pets were their victims. Todays Hammond Daily Star said one of the animals killed was one of the cult member's own dog.

[amazona]

22. these aren't Catholics and the pastor's wife has also been arrested

Apparently she was involved in raping at least one of the victims herself. This is a nut-type cult group. Nothing to do with celibacy, which these people didn't practice. At least two wives have now been arrested, and a social worker/counsellor arrested for her role in cover-up. Men and women alike were apparently doing the dirty in this little psycho-cult.

This is not the Ponchatoula I know. Very sad.

[DoYouEverWonder]

10. Oh jeez, these folks were wackos

Tangipahoa sheriff alleges devil worship in child rape, animal sex case

More arrested in cult case

Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said Friday that members of a Ponchatoula church cult accused of sexually abusing children and animals told detectives they carried out the practices for years as part of a devil-worshipping ritual involving cat blood.

"This is hard to talk about and harder to believe, but some of the suspects have told us their intention in all of this was devil worshipping," Edwards said.

Investigators arrested four more people on Thursday who are allegedly implicated in the child and animal sex ring, one of them a woman who is married to the already arrested minister of the church.

http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11224/Tangipahoa-sheriff-alleges-devil-worship-in-child-rape--animal-sex-case

[NNN0LHI]

12. The religion of peace n/t

[poppet]

13. I live in Tangipahoa Parish

in the local paper, they do name names.

http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2005/05/20/top_stories/news01.txt

[annabanana]

15. Hi poppet

Welcome to DU. Do these charges resonate? It sounds SO bizarre that my first inclination is to disbelieve it and start looking around to see who "has it in for" this group.

[poppet]

19. I think it is possible

my husband and I moved here about 4 years ago - he is originally from London and I am originally from PA. There is some pretty weird stuff here. I read in one of the news articles that the former pastor was living in Livingston Parish (between Tangi and E. Baton Rouge Parish). Livingston Parish is very conservative - we know a woman who was working in the Livingston Parish library system -instead of celebrating MLK, Jr. day, Livingston Parish celebrates Human Resource day. The CNN article said the former pastor told the Livingston Parish sheriff about all the crimes he had committed.

There are things about this area that I would never have believed had I not lived here!!

[amazona]

23. yeah well Livingston Parish

They have a reputation for being totally racist KKK types. But I hate to believe this about Ponchatoula/Tangipahoa. I guess I have only seen the kind and friendly side of the town on my visits there. I live in St. Tammany where it's all about the bucks.

[SmokingJacket]

18. I used to live there...

my take: anything is possible.

But there's also a high potential for hysteria, too.

It'll be interesting to see how it works out.

What town do you live in? Tangipahoa + DU = my mind is blown.

[DoYouEverWonder]

16. Looks like a typical well funded 'church'

Four in 'cult-like' church charged with abusing children

<snip>


Not all of the church members knew about the alleged sex acts, which authorities believe began in 1999 and likely ended when the church closed its doors to the general public around 2003. The alleged acts apparently took place in classrooms on the church property and not in the sanctuary.

"Apparently some of the members of the church probably spun off from what was a legitimate church and kind of formed what you and I might call a cult, and did cult-like things," Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said.

Edwards said the group used dogs and cats in some of the alleged acts, but he did not elaborate.

Reed said Hosanna Church was founded by Lamonica's father, who died years ago, and was once affiliated with the Assemblies of God. Authorities suspect the alleged abuse began after the younger Lamonica took over the church, it left the Assemblies of God and a large number of its members left, Reed said.

Authorities searched the church Tuesday night and turned two computers and a carpet sample over to state police. The FBI is assisting in the investigation because of the possibility that some of the alleged acts were taped and child pornography laws would apply.

http://2theadvocate.com/stories/051905/new_ponchatoula001.shtml

[gratuitous]

17. Gee, I hate to interrupt a good online lynching

But we're the folks who are supposed to believe in "innocent until proven guilty," remember? And after such things as the McMartin Preschool fiasco, I've seen that the more lurid the charges, the less actual evidence there it to back it up.

[DoYouEverWonder]

20. One of the guys turned himself in

and a few of the others have given confessions. One other was a local deputy who was promptly fired.

I don't think we are dealing with speculation here.

Edit:

Lamonica, 45, of Holden, is the pastor of the church, which is affiliated with the Church of God in Christ. He's reportedly telling authorities all that he knows and implicating other suspects who were involved, Edwards said.

http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2005/05/19/crime/crime01.txt

[thebigidea]

21. a dozen nauseated people equals an online lynching?

I suppose our vehement rhetoric against Bush on some crimes without enough evidence would be what, then? Online genocide? Online ethnic cleansing?

You can't expect people to read about reported acts of bestiality and child abuse and not throw in a few cries of disgust. Nobody is reaching for rope here, it'll play out it in La. and we'll see soon enough if there's any evidence apart from a confession...

(which could be some twisted, semi-suicidal revenge scheme against some people... where he just named the most horrible things he could think of, including the usual devil worship charges... boy, we better get Geraldo on the case!)

EDIT: hmm, missed the part about multiple confessions. That complicates the lone nut out for revenge theory. Hmmmm...

[amazona]

25. agreed and in the other thread I said as much

However, apparently there have been two separate confessions and also a case of one of the wives (or ex-wives?) involved ratting out. Time will tell if some of the more outlandish stories stand up.

I hope to God it isn't true but I just don't know what to think. Some of the charges have been reported in the Baton Rouge Advocate, which also names names and gives pictures, and I feel they are not necessarily the fish wrapper that most newspapers are in these parts. CNN is being very cautious but they don't know the state like the Advocate, methinks.

[Minstrel Boy]

29. Jesus Christ,

I have had it with "McMartin" parroted at every occasion of a case of ritual abuse.

There are multiple confessions here, for God's sake. The pastor and others have admitted they were practicing satanic rites involving cat's blood, paedophilia and bestiality. What is it going to take for some people to get it through their heads that this shit really happens?

Whatever the truth of McMartin, undoubtedly false accusations of ritual abuse have been made, and innocent people sent to prison. The same is true for every crime. Are rape and murder debunked because of it?

[amazona]

31. well it's good to be skeptical

But these people seem to be accusing each other and making confessions all over the place so I'm satisfied.

[Minstrel Boy]

33. skeptical is good

But it seems a lot of people are in flat-out denial about such crimes.

[lonestarnot]

24. Did Newsweek break this story?

[DoYouEverWonder]

26. Looks like Pastor LaMonica has a lot of praying to catch up on

There is just way too much innuendo in this cutesy camping trip story that these folks posted.


Somehow, in moment of weakness and temporary insanity, I agreed to tent camp with 14 pre-teen boys from our church.

"Boy, these camping trips wear me out," I remarked, stumbling into the house.

<snip>

Unintentionally, I started a survival-of-the-fittest contest when I brought out four weenie-roasting forks for 14 boys. The adults lost. Laws probably prohibit combining slippery mud, overcharged boys, sharp objects and a fire -- and for good reason. God watched over us, though, because no one, not even the fathers, suffered any serious injuries, discounting numerous scrapes, scratches, bruises and an occasional burn from an overzealous fire keeper.

Rev. Louis LaMonica, pastor of the church, joined us later that evening. He said something about being late because of a church function. I suspect he just waited as long as he could, thinking the boys would finally be asleep. He didn't wait long enough. Bringing his own supper of fast food, he obviously had heard of my famed "Deep Woods Char-raw" and didn't take any chances, despite his belief in divine healing.

I didn't think the boys would ever run out of energy. Some didn't until after they returned home. They never walked anywhere, preferring to run. If only I could bottle that and sell it!

Pastor LaMonica also left early the next day, saying something about having a lot of praying to do for us. He was probably correct about that.

http://wwww.basspro.com/page-67/article/28542.htm

[TheGunslinger]

27. "You sure got a purty mouth."

[IndianaGreen]

28. Defendants "may share family names with the alleged victims."

I wonder if this group was connected to Dodson's Focus on the Family?

[warrens]

30. It's crimes against nature, not humanity

This appears to be the real deal. BTW, no matter what, this does not merit the death penalty. It's sickening and disgusting, but no humans were killed. This is perfect example of DP creep. I want to see certain people executed (Ted Bundy, for one, and Tim McVeigh for another) but these right-wing cretins will keep expanding it til you can be put to death for adultery, or refusing your husband sex or whatever else has their panties in a knot that week.

[DoYouEverWonder]

32. LaMonica is a real piece of work

He even put a restraining order on his grandmother. Way to go you perverted fristian.



Former Hosanna members talk about church

<snip>

Kitty Morrison, Sibley's sister, said the younger Lamonica was a quiet person who played guitar in the band alongside her brother.

"I kept hearing stories," Morrison said Thursday from her job at St. Amant School, located in the former site of Harvest Church. "Because all of his family wouldn't talk to him (Lamonica), or rather, he wouldn't talk to his family anymore, and everyone was just heartbroken. He even took out restraining orders against them. Even my husband tried to intervene, carrying a letter from the family to Lamonica Jr., but it was to no avail."

The grandmother of Lamonica's children, Angie Lamonica, and her family were barred from entering the church or seeing the children, Morrison explained.

"He put a restraining order on this wonderful woman and simply refused to reconcile," Morrison said. "She hasn't seen the children in two years or more. People asked him to reconcile with his mother, who was heartbroken. His father influenced thousands of lives, including my brother, and helped him enter the ministry."

http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2005/05/20/top_stories/news02.txt