Search continues for Sask. pastor named in lawsuit who authored spanking handbook
The plaintiffs who filed a $25-million lawsuit earlier this summer have been unable to find the former pastor at the centre of it.
Pastor Keith Johnson is believed to be living in Oklahoma. According to court filings, he’s been "evading" officials trying various ways of serving him the lawsuit documents.
Grant Scharfstein, the lawyer representing more than 30 former students and members of Christian Centre Academy and Christian Centre Church, said Johnson is the only one out of 20 defendants who hasn’t been served.
“In the vast majority of cases, serving the various named parties and defendants isn't a problem. But from time to time you run into someone who evades service or tries to escape service,” Scharfstein said. “And then you have to get a court to find another way to serve them.”
Saskatoon Court of King's Bench Justice Grant Currie agreed to grant a request from Scharfstein to shift the responsibility to Johnson's son-in-law, who is in contact with Johnson and had agreed to get the documents to him.
The process known as “substitutional service” became Scharfstein’s alternative way of getting the documents to Johnson.
“They're not uncommon, but they're not common,” Scharfstein said. “I have no doubt that he's evading service.”
The allegations of abuse at the school have prompted an investigation into the independent school system in Saskatchewan by the province's children's advocate. The province also appointed an independent administrator to oversee operations at the school this fall.
Some former students are demanding more. They want the government to shut down the school, now called Legacy Christian Academy, or at least suspend the roughly $700,000 in annual taxpayer funds that go towards its operations.
Johnson’s estranged granddaughter and a plaintiff in one of the court documents Cassie Klassen said she wasn’t surprised to see her grandfather's name in the allegations, and she doesn’t imagine he will ever answer to them.
“I wouldn't be surprised if he's saying something along the lines of he did what God told him to do and now he's just being persecuted for doing what's right. So sadly, I don't see him ever taking responsibility or ownership for any of this,” Klassen said.
Klassen and other former students compared Johnson and his behaviour to that of a cult leader with an inflated ego.
Johnson authored 'The Child Training Seminar', a manual on corporal punishment used at the school.
Over the past month, there have been numerous attempts to reach Johnson by phone, at his home, or at a church in Tulsa, Okla. he regularly attends.
“He's gonna run, he's gonna hide. He's just playing by the cult leader textbook,” former student Caitlin Erickson said.
Klassen grew up in Saskatoon and is a former student and church member of Christian Centre Academy. Now living in Dallas, Klassen said she cut off all contact with Johnson and other members of the family last year.
Dean Schmidt, the son in-law who initially agreed to hand over the court documents to Johnson, has withdrawn his support and told the official in Oklahoma who met with him that any other visit to his home would be considered trespassing.
With nowhere else to turn, Scharfstein is submitting another application to the Court of King’s Bench to use regular mail to send the documents to him. Scharfstein would also send a copy to his son, Brien Johnson, who's the current pastor at Mile Two Church.
“I think until the day he dies, he will always paint himself in the light of he was right and what he did was somehow justified,” Klassen said.
CTV News unsuccessfully attempted to contact Johnson using his last known phone numbers and addresses. No statements of defence have been filed and none of the allegations have been proven in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Biscuits with possible plastic pieces, metal found in ground pork: Here are the recalls for this week
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.