Football leaders face hazing charges

Forbes State Forest received a report about three young boys fighting on the side of Copper Kettle Highway. Two of the boys were wearing football pads and pushing and pulling at the third boy.

The officer said the two boys stopped as soon as he pulled up, and shortly afterward, Mr. Knight pulled up in a white SUV and ordered the three players to get in the vehicle, but one of them took off running.

When the officer caught up to him, the boy refused to go back with “them,” according to a criminal complaint. The boy told the officer that the other boys had kicked and slapped him to prevent him from running away. He told police he had been sick for a few days and had rashes on his arms, but said the adults in charge hadn’t done anything about it.

Mr. Knight told the officer that the boy had been “a pain” all week and that the camp organizers had informed his mother and that the boy refused medical treatment.

The other two boys told investigators that they were ordered by the coaches to chase the other boy back when he was seen running away from the camp.

When the officer called the boy’s mother, she said the camp never informed her of any health issues related to her son. One coach had left her a voice mail several days before and said her son wanted to come home because the other boys were teasing him, but she thought he was just homesick and wanted himto remain at camp.

The next day, investigators received a phone call from the mother of another camper who said her 11-year-old son came home from camp with a black eye and a swollen lip. The boy said a group of older campers grabbed him by his hair while he was asleep and repeatedly slapped him. A camp counselor also slapped him several times, the boy told police, and he was punched in the chest when he tried to tell the coaches about it.

All of the younger boys were smacked by older boys and the adults did not intervene, the boy said. He also told his mother that the older boys smacked the younger boys genitals while they showered and that one boy watched pornography on a laptop in front of other younger players.

When the younger campers reported the behavior of the older campers to the coaches, they were told either to “hit them back,” or were called “snitches” and forced to run laps or do hitting drills. One boy also reported that the coaches told the boys they weren’t allowed to make or receive calls on the landline phone at the camp, and that some coaches were seen outside their cabin smoking and drinking alcohol.

The mother of the boy with the black eye told investigators she called Mr. Knight after she picked up her son and took him home. Mr. Knight apologized, she said, and told her the boys who hit her son were punished by being made to run laps. He asked her not to call the police, she said.

Investigators said they ordered Mr. Knight and Mr. Todd on July 19 to hand over the names of every child and adult at the camp so they could investigate the matter, but according to the criminal complaint, neither man has complied nor returned phone calls since then.

The Somerset County district attorney's office is asking anyone with information about this case to contact officers at Laurel Hill State Park.

“What has been reported to officials indicates a systemic failure by Camp Ruffhouse to ensure the safety and welfare of the juveniles in its care,” the office said in a statement.

Court records show Mr. Knight, 46, and Mr. Todd, 60, each posted $75,000 bail. Mr. Ford, 52, was still awaiting a preliminary arraignment. Preliminary court hearings for Mr. Knight and Mr. Todd have been scheduled for Aug .31.

Lena Bryan-Henderson, an attorney representing both Mr. Knight and Mr. Todd, said her clients deny any wrongdoing and she doesn't believe the prosecution can meet its burden of proof in the case.

“These two gentlemen have devoted their lives to young people and making sure that they have a safe environment to participate in sports in the Homestead area,” she said. “It’s just unfortunate that these charges havebeen filed against them.”

Elizabeth Behrman: Lbehrman@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1590. Follow @Ebehrman.