615: Boyd Householder

Boyd Householder and his wife Stephanie operated the Circle of Hope Girls Ranch, ostensibly a “Christian boarding school” for unruly girls in Missouri. Missouri is infamous for poorly regulated Christian boarding schools that continue to operate despite authorities knowing that abuse and neglect are rampant. Faith-based schools are exempt from state licensure so even though four allegations of abuse, including two of sexual abuse, were substantiated, the state did nothing. A Highway Patrol officer conducted an investigation, took it the the US Attorney who declined to prosecute. It was not until civil lawsuits and media coverage that the county moved in and removed the children.

Circle of Hope was bad enough for authorities to step in after even the Householder’s children affirmed the complaints of former students. Boyd Householder was arrested and charged with 79 felonies, including child molestation, sodomy, sexual contact with a student and neglect of a child. Stephanie Householder was indicted with 22 felonies including child abuse, neglect, and endangerment. This is for incidents over the three years from 2017 to 2020, though Circle of Hope operated much longer.

They are out on $10,000 bail and under house arrest.

• Daily News: Owners of Christian boarding school Circle of Hope jailed on 102 counts of abuse and neglect
• St. Louis Today: Sex trafficking, racketeering alleged at Missouri boarding school in federal lawsuit
• KY3: Prosecutors move to combine cases of Cedar County couple charged with sex crimes at boarding school