Life sentence for Stanley Gerald Champ

[Sliceitup]

A life sentence seems to be fairly groundbreaking in terms of convicted anabaptist sex offenders. Anyone think things are going to change in how churches handle cases?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/yo ... r-AA11n3kJ

[mike]

What was Champ's actual position in the church at Grays Prairie?

[Sliceitup]

What was Champ's actual position in the church at Grays Prairie?

I’m not sure about that. Would love to know the answer. I think his dad is a pastor there.

[Ken]

It's Texas. They do massively huge sentences for every type of sex offenders.

[Josh]

A life sentence seems to be fairly groundbreaking in terms of convicted anabaptist sex offenders.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/yo ... r-AA11n3kJ

What does this have to do with "Anabaptist"? Life sentences are common for certain types of aggravated sexual offences. It's a matter of if the prosecution can build a case and get a convction. (Most sex offenders get pled down to something less serious and don't get anything close to a life sentence.)

Anyone think things are going to change in how churches handle cases?

What, exactly, are you saying you expect churches to do? Generally speaking, most churches don't want violent sex offenders in their midst and do something about it - if they know about it. But most violent sex offenders who get away with it are very manipulative sociopaths and are very good at not getting caught. That includes not getting caught by the police, either.

Elsewhere, some folks on MN including you have expressed that you think the police are racist, should be defunded, and corrupt. So obviously you wouldn't expect the church to go to the police for help, would you?

[Josh]

What was Champ's actual position in the church at Grays Prairie?

I can't find him at all in my Mennonite church directory, so I'm starting to wonder exactly how he was a "church leader". Unless this place was so independent, they weren't updating any information with CLP.

[Sliceitup]

What was Champ's actual position in the church at Grays Prairie?

I can't find him at all in my Mennonite church directory, so I'm starting to wonder exactly how he was a "church leader". Unless this place was so independent, they weren't updating any information with CLP.

I read somewhere that he was involved with their prison ministry. So maybe not what we would consider an ‘official’ church leader.

[silentreader]

Is he any relation to the deacon at Hegins Valley?

[Josh]

What was Champ's actual position in the church at Grays Prairie?

I can't find him at all in my Mennonite church directory, so I'm starting to wonder exactly how he was a "church leader". Unless this place was so independent, they weren't updating any information with CLP.

I read somewhere that he was involved with their prison ministry. So maybe not what we would consider an ‘official’ church leader.

Then in that case, the news media is being misleading to call him a "church leader".

Cases like this happen all the time, and the person's religious affiliation is usually left out of it. We don't hear specific details about what parish or mosque someone attended, nor is there some expectation that their priests or jammah or whomever is somehow accountable for them.

[Ken]

Then in that case, the news media is being misleading to call him a "church leader".

Cases like this happen all the time, and the person's religious affiliation is usually left out of it. We don't hear specific details about what parish or mosque someone attended, nor is there some expectation that their priests or jammah or whomever is somehow accountable for them.

Mennonites have a tendency of making these cases about religion which more or less forces the media to report it that way. Here is a screen shot from the trial video on the original news web site



I don't know if those women were there in support of the victim or perpetrator. But I have seen news photos of other trials of Menno or Amish sex offenders in which the courtroom was packed to standing room only with folks in Menno or Amish plain clothes in solidarity or support of the accused. I don't know if that was actually the case here. But any reporter walking into such a courtroom is going to immediately conclude that the trial has something to do with religion.