Former Legacy Christian Academy coach pleads guilty to sex crimes

A former coach at a private religious school pleaded guilty to sexual assault at Saskatoon Provincial Court on Thursday.

Aaron Benneweis, 46, a former coach and athletic director at the private school now called Legacy Christian Academy, admitted to sexually assaulting a teen at the school more than 10 years ago, as well as pleading guilty to sexual exploitation.

"I couldn't help but grin in my seat. That felt really, really good," Jennifer Beaudry said. "I didn't know if we'd ever get to the day that I would hear those words."

Victims of sexual assault are typically subject to a publication ban, but Beaudry sought court permission to have her name published.

The sexual encounters happened between 2008 and 2012. They began on Beaudry's 13th birthday. She says Thursday was the first time Benneweis, or any of the three former staff of the school who have been criminally charged, have admitted to their offences.

Benneweis appeared in court by phone. Even though he wasn't in the courtroom, Beaudry felt relieved to hear his lawyers plead guilty on his behalf.

"He sounded defeated … we've been waiting for it," she said of hearing Benneweis' voice for the first time in nearly 11 years.

"I cherish every moment of the process, even when there's, like, the ugly moments and the hard stages. And then there's days like today where it finally pays off for all the nights alone in the dark."

Beaudry says Benneweis was in his early thirties at the time when he began pursuing her and he pressured her into keeping their relationship a secret because his family life and career “depended on it."

When Beaudry came forward to then-pastor and school official Keith Johnson when she was 17, she says he asked her if he could lie about her age to make the relationship legal.

"They immediately went into protection mode, so they were concerned about the reputation of what it would look like," Beaudry said.

John Olubobokun and Duff Friesen — the two other former school staff members facing charges — are scheduled to be in court Oct. 12. Benneweis is the first to have his court matters settled.

Ken Schultz, a 74-year-old Saskatoon man who served as an elder in the school-affiliated church now known as Mile Two Church, also faces charges of sexual assault and assault with a weapon.

Former students of the school are seeking $25 million in compensation. They’re calling for a permanent closure of the school, and want all of the defendants banned from working with minors in any capacity.

Roughly two dozen officials of Mile Two Church and Legacy Christian Academy are named in the lawsuit.

"These are real stories that have happened and we're seeking justice for that," Beaudry said.

Benneweis is scheduled to be in court for sentencing on Jan. 4, 2024. His lawyers intend to contest the sentence.

-With files from Rory MacLean