‘Completely improper’: Missouri pastor regrets denouncing Circle of Hope abuse claims
A southwest Missouri pastor says he now regrets saying the abuse charges against the owners of a Christian boarding school weren’t true.
Pastor Jerry Pyle, of Bible Baptist Church of Vernon County, contacted The Star on Friday, saying he was wrong to make such a statement about the criminal case involving Boyd and Stephanie Householder, owners of the now-closed Circle of Hope Girls Ranch in Cedar County. The Householders are charged with 102 crimes, including statutory rape, sodomy and physical abuse.
“In the process of seeking help for the Householders, I made the statement that the charges were false,” Pyle said. “To make that statement at this time was completely improper.
“First of all I cannot personally vouch for conduct that may or may not have taken place throughout the Householder’s time at Circle of Hope Girls Ranch, as they have only been members of Bible Baptist Church since June of 2020. Furthermore, although we never observed evidence that abuse had or was taking place, the fact that we did not observe such evidence does not prove abuse never took place.”
Pyle told The Star that “I will not be giving any interviews or making any other public statements or appeals concerning the case against the Householders and Circle of Hope Girls Ranch.”
Pyle sent a letter earlier this month to churches and individuals who received newsletters from Circle of Hope, asking them to consider helping the Householders with the costs of retaining effective legal representation.
In that letter, he said, “prayer is where this battle is going to be won.”
“However, I believe it is our responsibility to do what we can to aid them in clearing their names of these false, demonic accusations. We can not do it alone. We absolutely need your help in your prayers, but we need your help financially.”
Pyle’s initial plea came as attorneys on both sides prepared for the Householders’ preliminary hearing, held Thursday in Cedar County Circuit Court in Stockton.
Boyd Householder, 72, was charged with 79 felonies, including six counts of second-degree statutory rape; nine counts of second-degree statutory sodomy; six counts of sexual contact with a student; 56 counts of abuse or neglect of a child; and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. An additional count of second-degree child molestation is a misdemeanor.
Stephanie Householder, 56, was charged with 22 felonies, including 12 counts of abuse or neglect of a child and 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Both have pleaded not guilty and are being held without bond in the Vernon County Jail.
At Thursday’s hearing, witnesses gave numerous accounts of alleged abuse inside Circle of Hope. Among the examples shared were putting students in painful restraints, swatting them, withholding food as punishment and putting one girl in a neck brace for not holding her head up while being forced to stand and face a wall.
A retired Cedar County sheriff’s deputy said students were told that social workers and law enforcement officers were “of Satan’s work” and could not be trusted. One student, she said, asked her if she was “one of Satan’s soldiers.”
And an investigator with the State Technical Assistance Team, part of the Missouri Department of Social Services, detailed her 2017 interview with a former student who alleged Boyd Householder sexually abused her on many occasions. The incidents occurred on a table in Stephanie Householder’s office, on top of a freezer, in a storage building and during inspections of students’ rooms, the investigator said.
Defense attorney Adam Woody pointed out that students’ parents had told the Circle of Hope owners when the girls enrolled that they had discipline problems that included lying, violence and disrespect. He also noted that parents had initialed an application form saying they acknowledged that certain disciplinary measures, including restraints, would be used.
At the end of the nearly six-hour hearing, the judge bound the couple over for trial on all but two of the 102 counts against them. Of those, 99 are felonies. Their arraignment is scheduled for June 14.
The Householders started attending Bible Baptist Church about two months before authorities removed the girls from the school in mid-August.
Bible Baptist Church is an independent fundamental Baptist church. IFB churches teach followers to separate themselves from worldly influence. Some IFB churches have supported Circle of Hope financially over the years, and their pastors have recommended the boarding school to parents of troubled girls.
In Friday’s statement, which will be distributed to Circle of Hope supporters on Monday, Pyle said the church takes all allegations of abuse seriously.
“When one party accuses another of wrongdoing and the accused party denies the accusation, someone is not being truthful,” he said. “Without respect of persons, our prayer continues to be for the lies to be exposed and the truth to be revealed.
“As we have during the last 25 years, we at Bible Baptist Church will continue striving to effectively minister the grace of God to victims of abuse. We pray for God’s grace and help through this difficult process, for the healing and help of any girls that were harmed, and for the truth to be revealed.”
