No arrests, no charges five weeks after removal of children from Columbus Junction camp

Five weeks have passed since Iowa and Louisa County authorities took 88 children into protective custody at a faith-based substance abuse recovery camp in Columbus Junction.

After 36 days, officials have made no arrests and no charges have been filed against leaders or ministers of the camp, called Shekinah Glory Camp.

Sgt. Kary Conger of the Louisa County Sheriff's Office is part of the investigation, which she said includes Iowa's Division of Criminal Investigation and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Conger confirmed that no arrests have been made and she "... can't say yes or no" to a question about whether arrests are imminent because the investigation "is still going on."

Louisa County Attorney Adam Parsons confirmed no charges have been filed.

"It's premature of me to say anything without the investigation being complete," Parsons said when asked if he expected charges would be filed.

On Thursday, June 12, and Friday, June 13, the Louisa County Sheriff's Office in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Health Human Services, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and Columbus Junction Police Department, conducted a safeguard child protective custody operation and executed search warrants at 10431 Q Ave., Columbus Junction, the location of the camp, and at 1101 Fifth Ave., which is in Fredonia but has a Columbus Junction address.

The Fifth Avenue address was the location of Kingdom Ministry of Rehabilitation and Recreation, which operated the camp.

The operation stemmed from information and reports of child abuse and endangerment, according to a June 16 news release from the Louisa County Sheriff's Office.

During the operation, 88 children were taken into protective custody and were returned to their parents over the ensuing days.

The operation brought national attention, and drew coverage by the New York Post and the Washington Post.

A volunteer who worked at the camp and lived at the camp site for a year denied the allegations and said the reports stemmed from one camper, who had been free to leave. The volunteer did not give his name and declined to comment further at the direction of an attorney, but did say the campers were between 14 and 18 years of age, and that most attended the camp in their recovery from substance abuse.

In late June, Alex Murphy, director of communications for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, declined to provide details on the status, timeline of the case, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.

Murphy did not respond to further questions on the general procedure for investigations of camps when abuse is alleged, or on the timeline for investigations into camps when the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services becomes involved.

During a June 17 interview, Louisa County Sheriff Brandon Marquardt said he expects individuals will be arrested in connection with the case. In a June 24 follow-up interview, Marquardt declined to comment further on the status of the arrests or investigation.

Lee Enterprises' Nina Baker and David Hotle contributed to this story.