‘Survivor’ Alum John Raymond Convicted of Cruelty to Kids at School Where He Was Headmaster

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Former Survivor: Thailand competitor John Raymond has been convicted of three felony charges of cruelty to juveniles and could face up to 40 years in prison.

The 62-year-old pastor and headmaster of Lakeside Christian School in Slidell, Louisiana, is said to have whipped a child at the school, and taped the mouths shut of other students for talking too much, according to People. The felony charges were confirmed to the outlet by a St. Tammany Parish Court clerk.

He was also convicted of second-degree cruelty to juveniles for putting his hand over the mouth of a 4-year-old boy who was having a reported tantrum. Raymond’s actions prevented the boy from breathing to the point where it made the child go “limp,” police shared in a statement.

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“I’m not guilty,” Raymond stated following the verdict, according to NOLA.com. “I’ve never been cruel to a child, and I love children.” Raymond stated that his predicament is a result of “cancel culture.”

Raymond was a competitor during Survivor‘s fifth season which was located in Thailand and aired in 2002. Raymond’s legal issues began two years ago in April 2022 when the Slidell Police Department arrested him after receiving a complaint from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) about potential child abuse at the school.

The complaint at the time stated Raymond had taped multiple students’ mouths shut as a form of discipline, leading to an investigation uncovering several 13-year-old students had been removed from class for excessive talking.

In a statement released by the police surrounding the investigation, it was said, “John Raymond became angry and brought the students to his office. At some point, Raymond took a roll of packing tape and taped the students’ mouths shut by wrapping the tape around their heads.”

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Additionally, the statement continued, “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.”

Ultimately, Raymond was arrested for cruelty to a juvenile in May 2022 after the incident with the 4-year-old, in which he “allegedly placed his hand over the boy’s nose and mouth (preventing him from breathing) to the point of him going ‘limp.’ 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 a separate incident, Raymond also allegedly held a boy upside down by his ankles as he repeatedly “whipped him on the buttocks.”

Raymond was remanded to the St. Tammany Parish Jail and released on a $100,000 bond on Tuesday, September 24th. His sentencing is slated for October 23rd, during which he faces up to 40 years in prison.

If you or someone you know is the victim of child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.