Court OKs effort to change judge in abuse cases

MONTICELLO, Mo. -- A Ralls County judge on Monday approved a request by five defendants in the Heartland child-abuse cases to ask the state Supreme Court to assign the matter to another judge.

The five have pleaded innocent to forcing misbehaving youngsters at Heartland Christian Academy -- the site where students were removed in October over abuse allegations -- to stand in manure pits as punishment. The school with a program for troubled children is in northeast Missouri near Newark.

During a status review of the cases in Lewis County, Associate Circuit Judge David Mobley sustained the defendant's request for a change of judge. He did not explain his action.

An attorney representing the school did not immediately return telephone messages seeking comment about why the change was sought.

Previously, Presiding Circuit Judge Russell Steele recused himself from the cases.

The defendants are Charles Robert Patchin, 33, of Newark, a grandson of Heartland founder Charles Sharpe and a member of the Heartland board of directors; Heartland board member Eric David Kiepke, 28, of Bethel; Heartland staff member Michael K. Peterson, 36, of Newark; Heartland worker Farah Avusaada, 24, of Steffenville; and Heartland employee Ronald G. Osbon Jr., 23, of LaBelle.

The five were arrested in June and accused of various roles in sending 11 teen-agers into concrete-lined pits to shovel animal manure.

One pit contained solid and liquid animal waste, animal afterbirth and corn stalks. The second pit was used to separate solid and liquid animal waste.

Court documents said the teens described the manure as punishment for offenses such as not listening, talking to other youngsters or having a bad attitude.

Sharpe founded the 200-acre Heartland complex in 1995 to treat troubled youth and adults by using a combination of work therapy and Christian-based instruction. The school has 220 students in grades kindergarten through 12.

On Oct. 30, 115 students were taken from Heartland -- a mass removal that authorities called necessary for the safety of the children after additional allegations of abuse. Heartland has argued its tough-love, strict discipline approach was not child abuse.

On Friday after a three-day hearing in Hannibal, U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber said juvenile officers can still pursue removal of individuals in certain circumstances from Heartland, but cannot remove large numbers of students.

The judge said his revised order will remain in place until he makes a final ruling on whether authorities must get federal court approval before removing any student.