Police report major child safety operation in Louisa County

COLUMBUS JUNCTION — The Louisa County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday that it carried out a major search warrant June 12 and 13, when authorities said they took 88 children into protective custody from a three-week religious, rehab-focused summer camp in Fredonia and rural Columbus Junction.

“This operation was based upon information and reports regarding child abuse and endangerment,” the county sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post Monday afternoon. “All collaborating Agencies were able to take protective custody of (88) children, who were attendees of the Kingdom Ministry of Rehab and Recreation and the Shekinah Glory Camp.”

Police said investigation in the case was ongoing, and that all children taken from the site were brought to the Wapello Methodist Church to “meet with multiple Child Protection Workers and provided to their parents, HHS and temporary foster care to ensure the safety of all involved until safe return to parents/guardians.”

It was not immediately clear what crimes led to the search warrant, or what danger anyone was in on the properties — located at 10431 Q Avenue and 1101 Fifth Avenue addresses listed in Columbus Junction, although the latter is located in Fredonia, a considerably smaller city on the eastern side of the Iowa-Cedar river junction.

Iowa code offers about nine specific offenses under its definition of “child endangerment,” including any action where an adult knowingly “creates a substantial risk to a child or minor’s physical, mental or emotional health or safety.” State law’s definition of “child abuse” is similarly broad, encompassing most intentional harm done to children, as well as virtually any failure by a caregiver to provide things “necessary for (a) child’s health and welfare” like food, shelter, water and medical treatment.

In an email Tuesday morning, Sheriff Brandon Marquardt declined to comment on what specific child safety concerns prompted the operation, whether anyone had been arrested, or what names appeared on the search warrants. He added that the investigation was playing out “as fast as possible.”

Marquardt did clarify that no other state or federal agencies were involved in the operation, aside from those mentioned in the Facebook post. That list includes the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Child Protection Services), Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and Columbus Junction Police Department. The press release also thanked the Wapello school district and food pantry, Wapello Ambulance Service, Wapello Methodist Church, and “multiple local volunteers” for assistance in the operation.

The sheriff provided contact information for a representative of Iowa Health and Human Services, who did not reply to an email requesting more information.

On its website, Shekinah Glory Camp refers to itself as the “Kingdom Ministry of Rehabilitation and Recreation.“

The organization describes its camp as a place for attendees to seek “freedom from alcohol and drugs.” It also says the location is the birthplace of Arthur E. Carson, the first missionary to Myanmar’s Chin state, and much of its online content is written in Hakha Chin, a language predominantly spoken in that region.

The group’s Facebook page said a group of 14-25 year-olds on June 8 began their stay at camp, which would be closed to visitors until June 29.

In a handful of other news outlets including the Quad City Times, KWQC, and WQAD, volunteers at the camp and owners of the searched properties denied any wrongdoing or allegations of abuse. As of Wednesday morning, the camp has not replied to a request for comments from The Southeast Iowa Union.

The Southeast Iowa Union’s AnnaMarie Ward contributed to this report.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com, Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com,