Former Missouri boarding school staffer accused of sexual assault won’t be charged
The long-time medical coordinator of the now-closed Agape Boarding School arrested last month on sex crime allegations will not be charged, a southwest Missouri prosecutor said Thursday.
Bolivar police arrested Scott Dumar, 46, on July 6 after a woman said he sexually assaulted her while she was at work. He was released the next afternoon.
Keaton Ashlock, Polk County prosecuting attorney, said after reviewing the case that he declined to file charges.
“The video does not corroborate the account that was given in the probable cause statement,” Ashlock told The Star.
The alleged crimes on the jail booking information at the time of his arrest were second-degree sodomy, second-degree kidnapping and three counts of second-degree sexual misconduct. There were no details at that time of what led to the arrest.
The alleged victim, who isn’t being named, told The Star that she was “devastated” by what had happened and the decision not to file charges. She said that after the incident she immediately called police.
“I tried my best to do everything right,” she said. “I am thankful to the Bolivar Police Department and the Polk County dispatcher who took my call for their respect and helping me through the process. I hope no other women go through this.”
According to the probable cause affidavit, the woman knew Dumar.
The day after Dumar’s arrest, Ashlock told The Star that he was “preparing charges.” But that afternoon, Dumar was released from jail. Ashlock said at the time that the case was “under further investigation.”
Since late 2020, Missouri law enforcement, child welfare officials, lawmakers and former students have scrutinized Agape. Several of those students testified in Jefferson City in 2021, urging lawmakers to do something about the years of abuse and to protect the children still at the school. As a result, legislators passed a law that for the first time implemented some regulations on such schools.
Dumar is a former Agape student who as an adult became one of the top staffers at the unlicensed Christian boarding school. He was also one of five employees charged with low-level felonies in 2021, accused of physically abusing boys.
In December, Dumar pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors and was placed on two years’ probation. He initially was charged with four counts of third-degree assault, a Class E felony. All charges involved former students.
Those charges alleged that between February 2020 and April 2021 Dumar knowingly caused physical injury to three boys by scrubbing their arms with rubbing alcohol and a scouring pad to remove their tattoos.
In January, former director Bryan Clemensen announced he was voluntarily shutting down the school.
This story was originally published August 11, 2023 at 11:56 AM.
