Ethopian charity owner charged with child sexual abuse
Source: abc4.com A man who helped form a charity to help children in Ethopia is now charged with child sexual abuse. Forty seven felony counts were filed by Wasatch County prosecutors against Lon Harvey Kennard Senior on Tuesday. The charges involve the abuse of seven underage girls over a 15 year period. Investigators claim during that time Kennard would sexually abuse some of the girls several times a week. According to their report, "Kennard also has an African girlfriend who is now 17 or 18 years of age." Investigators claim he even maintains a house in Ethiopia that he kept from his family. "We believe there could have been some things going on there," said Todd Donner of the Wasatch County Sheriff's office. Kennard and his wife co-founded Village of Hope, a charity that reaches out to a cluster of villages in southern Ethiopia to help them with food, clean water and education. The charity and the Kennard's parted ways last year. Still, the Ethiopian government has been made aware of the charges against him and may sanction the group because of them. In an email sent Tuesday evening to supporters, from the current President of Village of Hope wrote, "Our first priority is the safety of our staff (American and Ethiopian) and those children who rely on Village of Hope for their food and shelter. "The board is holding its collective breath while waiting to see what the government will do and how that will effect its ongoing operations among a people in desperate need of help.
See previous posts here and here.
Source: abc4.com A man who helped form a charity to help children in Ethopia is now charged with child sexual abuse. Forty seven felony counts were filed by Wasatch County prosecutors against Lon Harvey Kennard Senior on Tuesday. The charges involve the abuse of seven underage girls over a 15 year period. Investigators claim during that time Kennard would sexually abuse some of the girls several times a week. According to their report, "Kennard also has an African girlfriend who is now 17 or 18 years of age." Investigators claim he even maintains a house in Ethiopia that he kept from his family. "We believe there could have been some things going on there," said Todd Donner of the Wasatch County Sheriff's office. Kennard and his wife co-founded Village of Hope, a charity that reaches out to a cluster of villages in southern Ethiopia to help them with food, clean water and education. The charity and the Kennard's parted ways last year. Still, the Ethiopian government has been made aware of the charges against him and may sanction the group because of them. In an email sent Tuesday evening to supporters, from the current President of Village of Hope wrote, "Our first priority is the safety of our staff (American and Ethiopian) and those children who rely on Village of Hope for their food and shelter. "The board is holding its collective breath while waiting to see what the government will do and how that will effect its ongoing operations among a people in desperate need of help.
See previous posts here and here.
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