A Christian Scientist school in Missouri has been hit with a $1million
lawsuit accusing the institution of failing to protect students from an
employee charged with having sexual intercourse a 16-year-old girl
dozens of times and organizing orgies for teens.
According to the
complaint filed by the alleged victim’s parents last week, when
officials at Principia - a high school and college for Christian
Scientists in St Louis - found out about the alleged sexual abuse, they
did little beyond issuing telecommunications director Zachary Retzalff a
verbal warning to 'knock it off’ and ‘cut it out.', the Mirror reports.
Retzlaff, a 33-year-old widowed father of two young sons, was arrested
over the summer and charged with statutory rape.
According to the civil suit reviewed by the St Louis Post-Dispatch, Retzlaff had sex with the 16-year-old female student at The Principia more than 40 times on and off campus between July 2014 and May 2015. The telecom manager also allegedly introduced the girl to sadomasochism, choking the girl until she passed out before having sex with her. Retzlaff also allegedly hosted group sex parties with the 16-year-old and other students from the Christian Scientist school.
The parents of the teenager, identified in the complaint as ‘Jane Doe,’ claim that she ran away from home and they believe she is living with Retzlaff and plans to marry him.
Court filings in the case allege that officials at the St Louis school knew Retzlaff had sex with students in the past. In June, the widower was accused of engaging in sexual activity with a girl younger than 17, and charged with a single count of felony statutory rape.
He pleaded not guilty in the criminal case and was released on $25,000 bail. Prosecutors are now seeking to have Retzlaff remanded to jail because they believe he violated a judge's order prohibiting him from contacting the victim. Retzlaff lost his wife and the mother of his children, Juliana, in February 2014. According to the complaint, sometime after her passing, he 16-year-old student began babysitting the couple’s children and cleaning his home.
The parents of the teenager, identified in the complaint as ‘Jane Doe,’ claim that she ran away from home and they believe she is living with Retzlaff and plans to marry him.
Court filings in the case allege that officials at the St Louis school knew Retzlaff had sex with students in the past. In June, the widower was accused of engaging in sexual activity with a girl younger than 17, and charged with a single count of felony statutory rape.
He pleaded not guilty in the criminal case and was released on $25,000 bail. Prosecutors are now seeking to have Retzlaff remanded to jail because they believe he violated a judge's order prohibiting him from contacting the victim. Retzlaff lost his wife and the mother of his children, Juliana, in February 2014. According to the complaint, sometime after her passing, he 16-year-old student began babysitting the couple’s children and cleaning his home.
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