by Kim Gebbia
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Parents said they sent their kids off to mid-state church camp, only for them to be hazed and sexually assaulted.
One Clarksville mom said a handful of 11 to 12 year old boys from the First Baptist Church of Clarksville, including her son, all came home from a week at Camp Linden with a similar and disturbing story.
The allegations include being led into a dark cabin where they were beaten, groped and one even sodomized by older campers at Camp Linden in Perry County.
"What other place do you think your child will be safe at other than a church camp? And it turned out this year it wasn't that way," said this Clarksville mother who wanted to remain anonymous.
"He said the older boys tricked us into coming to a pizza party and we were supposed to come there at midnight," she recalled.
She said her son and a few fellow campers from First Baptist Church of Clarksville came home with similar stories of that party, saying they were led into a cabin two at a time. Her son told her the cabin was dark with loud music and strobe lights.
Inside a group of 14 year old boys allegedly beat them, simulated sexual acts on them, and rubbed the skin raw near their groin.
"...and then it was nipple twisting, and the punching hitting and behavior that you wouldn't expect from kids who have gone to church all their lives," said this mother of three.
The woman said one of the 11-year-olds was even sodomized with an object.
"He said that they had the music up so that they couldn't hear them screaming because they came out and they were screaming and crying," she told NewsChannel 5.
"They are calling this a prank and you are saying this is sexual assault?" asked NewsChannel5's Kim Gebbia.
"Yes, I am saying this is sexual assault," the mother replied.
The pastor at First Baptist wouldn't respond to the allegations but referred NewsChannel 5 to their attorney, Neil Bateman. Bateman said they reported the incident to the Department of Children's Services and have nothing more to say.
DCS officials confirmed to NewsChannel 5 they are taking the allegations seriously and investigating what happened in that cabin at Camp Linden.
This outraged mother said six boys with similar stories isn't a coincidence and the 8th graders behind a disturbing "prank" need to be held accountable.
"There is something wrong with a boy in the 8th grade that does that to a 6th grader," she said.
A key part of this investigation will be figuring out if those older campers were with the First Baptist Church of Clarksville or with a different church that was on the property at the same time.
Officials in Perry County said no charges have been filed. Camp Linden does not provide camp counselors to their visitors, they simply rent out the space to Baptist Churches across Tennessee.
Email: kgebbia@newschannel5.com
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