A former Survivor contestant is facing jail time after allegedly committing child abuse as a headmaster at a Christian school. A jury convicted the Louisiana pastor and former reality star for cruelty to minors. He's facing 40 years in prison.
Videos by Wide Open Country
According to People, a jury in St. Tammany Parish found John Raymond guilty on all three charges of cruelty to juveniles. They found him guilty of putting tape on the mouths of students to keep them from talking. It was a punishment because they were allegedly talking too much.
Jury also found the former Survivor star of second-degree cruelty to juveniles. He allegedly put his hand over a 4-year-old boy's mouth. This made him unable to breathe and go limp. Raymond was the headmaster of Lakeside Christian School in Slidell.
"I'm not guilty," Raymond said after the verdict. I've never been cruel to a child, and I love children." He claims that he's a victim of cancel culture.
Previously, Raymond participated on Survivor: Thailand in 2002.
'Survivor' Star Faces Prison Time
In 2022, police arrested the former Survivor star after the Department of Children and Family Services filed a complaint against the school. The complaint revealed Raymond's extreme form of punishment
"John Raymond became angry and brought the students to his office," it said. "At some point, Raymond took a roll of packing tape and taped the students' mouths shut by wrapping the tape around their heads."
The statement adds: "Raymond allegedly sent the students back to class for around 45 minutes before another school administrator felt uncomfortable with the situation and removed the tape from the students' faces."
They later ended up arresting Raymond again after evidence came out of him restraining a 4-year-old.
"Raymond allegedly placed his hand over the boy's nose and mouth (preventing him from breathing) to the point of him going "limp," the statement said. "A staff member told Raymond to stop, and then observed the boy 'out of it and lethargic,' 'unable to stand,' and saw 'mucous' come out of the boy's nose, as he attempted to breathe."
In another incident, the former Survivor star allegedly held a boy upside down and whipped him across the butt.
