New details in Circle of Hope case; girl said she was handcuffed, chained for 2 weeks
When the Missouri Attorney General announced 102 criminal charges last month against the owners of a Christian boarding school for girls, he didn’t give extensive details about the allegations.
The probable cause documents describing the abuse charges against Boyd and Stephanie Householder were sealed, Attorney General Eric Schmitt said, and that information was “not for the faint of heart.”
But records obtained by The Star reveal what authorities were looking for — and found — when they first searched the Circle of Hope Girls Ranch in September. They also disclose more of what the students say they went through at the rural Cedar County reform school.
One 12-year-old girl told authorities she was chained inside a room at the school for two weeks.
“(She) stated the chain was connected to a metal bar against the wall that had three holes in it,” according to the documents. “She was provided no bedding materials and had to defecate and urinate in a bucket and was provided only bread and water during that time.”
The girl also told authorities that she observed Boyd Householder “hold a black in color handgun at the back of another resident’s head while holding that resident by the back of her neck against a wall,” records show.
These new details were spelled out in a request to a Cedar County Circuit Judge for a Sept. 1 search warrant of the property about seven miles west of Humansville in southwest Missouri. Investigators with the State Technical Assistance Team, which is under the Department of Social Services, conducted the search.
In the application for the warrant, an investigator described what five girls — ages 12 to 17 — told authorities about the abuse they said they endured at Circle of Hope.
One 16-year-old girl told investigators that Boyd Householder “threw a bottle of Carmex lotion at her, hitting her in the head and back,” the records show. He reportedly also “took her to ‘the brick house’ and whipped her with a belt ... sprayed a water hose in her nose and mouth, making it difficult to breathe” and “shoved a bar of soap in her mouth, causing her lips to bleed.” She also said that Boyd Householder cut her hair as punishment and poured dish soap in her mouth.
In addition, the girl told investigators that Boyd Householder “placed handcuffs on her arms and restrained her“ and “put (red) duct tape over her mouth, head and neck.” She also reported “being kicked by Boyd Householder on her lower shin, leaving a laceration.”
The teen told authorities that she detailed everything she suffered at Circle of Hope in an “injury log” that Boyd Householder reportedly kept in his office.
Another teen said Stephanie Householder denied her medical appointments and that the girl witnessed Boyd Householder put a “neck brace” on a student “for the purpose of punishment, causing her to have difficulty consuming food.”
In the search warrant request, authorities listed what they were seeking.
“The property to be searched and seized is any evidence of child abuse to include, but not limited to, handcuffs, zip-ties, dish soap bottles described by the victims,” the request said, “photographic evidence of the facility and scene locations … any and all video surveillance equipment …” They also were looking for electronic devices, flash drives, medical and school records and logs about students’ bathroom use, weight, meals, injuries and phone calls.
The Householders, who opened Circle of Hope in 2006, are being held without bond and remain in custody in the Vernon County Jail. Their preliminary hearing is set to begin May 20 in Cedar County.
Springfield attorney Adam Woody, who is representing the couple, told the judge at their March 19 bond hearing that the Householders “adamantly deny any criminal conduct.”
“They’re very religious people, they’re very good people,” Woody said. “We have dozens of people who are prepared to testify to their character.”
The Attorney General’s office is leading the prosecution with the assistance of the Cedar County prosecuting attorney, who requested the state’s help in the case.
At the recent bond hearing, an assistant attorney general said the investigation was ongoing and “we do believe that there will be additional charges” filed against the Householders.
Boyd and Stephanie Householder, who closed their religious reform school in September, face charges that include statutory rape, sodomy and physical abuse. All but one of the 102 charges are felonies.
Boyd Householder, 72, was charged in Cedar County Circuit Court 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. One count of second-degree child molestation is a misdemeanor.
Stephanie Householder, 55, 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.
The Cedar County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation into Circle of Hope last year. After reviewing the case, Cedar County prosecutor Ty Gaither requested the attorney general’s help in mid-November, saying his county did not have the resources to handle the case on its own. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson directed the attorney general’s office to assist with the investigation and possible prosecution.
The search warrant return, which The Star also obtained, listed more than four dozen items seized from the Circle of Hope property. Among them: zip ties, three sets of handcuffs, neck braces, red duct tape, two flash drives, various electronics, a body camera and a wooden handle.
