A man came forward and went on the record on Monday about alleged abuse that he suffered as a 12-year-old while attending a church camp that was overseen by Reverend Raphael Warnock.
Anthony Washington, now 30, told The Washington Free Beacon that counselors allegedly threw urine on him and locked him outside of his cabin, forcing him to sleep outside overnight. Washington told the publication that what allegedly happened to him at Camp Farthest Out resulted in a 2003 lawsuit that he says led to a large financial settlement.
The Free Beacon reported:
Warnock has faced scrutiny over his 2002 arrest for allegedly obstructing a child abuse investigation by Maryland State Police that centered on the camp’s treatment of children. Washington’s account is buttressed by records from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, obtained by the Free Beacon earlier this month, which indicated that campers were routinely left unsupervised; staffers were not subject to required criminal background check; and at least five cases of child abuse or neglect were brought against the camp’s director, who was ultimately forced to resign.
Warnock served as senior pastor at Baltimore’s Douglas Memorial Community Church from 2001 until around 2005. His job included overseeing the expansion of the church’s sleepaway camp, Camp Farthest Out, which served inner city children.
Warnock, a Democrat, is currently a U.S. Senate candidate running to unseat Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA). Warnock has come under increased scrutiny in recent days after Fox News released footage from police earlier this year in which Warnock’s wife told police that he allegedly hit her with his car on purpose, claiming that he ran over her foot.
The Free Beacon said that Washington expressed shock upon learning that Warnock was running for the U.S. Senate, saying, “I don’t think nobody like [Warnock] should be running for damn Senate nowhere … He should not be running for government.” Washington said that he just “wanted to get the hell away from that camp” because it “was real messed up.”
Washington’s sister corroborated details of the lawsuit to the Free Beacon during an interview, saying that it was related to when counselors “poured urine on [Anthony], at the camp.”
Washington said that the counselors punished him for wetting his bed by forcing him to sleep outside on a basketball court by himself. He said that counselors threw urine on him from a bucket that they used when there was no nearby bathroom facilities.
“I went through that experience myself. I don’t even like talking about this s***,” Washington said. “That s*** happened. … It was like in a bucket. They would keep that s*** in a bucket.” Washington also told the publication that he saw counselors “grab kids” but added that he didn’t know whether others experienced abuse.
Washington said that he was prohibited from calling his parents and that when his mom found out about what was going on that she erupted at the camp officials and that she was the one who took the case to court. “I thank my mother for doing what she did,” he said. “She is a life saver.”
The Free Beacon’s report noted that Warnock was arrested for allegedly interfering with law enforcement officials who were asking the counselors questions. Warnock was charged with “hindering and obstructing” law enforcement, but a prosecutor later dropped the charges.
Warnock’s wife alleged to police earlier this year that Warnock intentionally hit her with his car.
“This man’s running for United States Senate, and all he cares about right now is his reputation. I’ve been very quiet about the way that he is for the sake of my kids and his reputation,” she told police. “I’ve tried to keep the way that he acts under wraps for a long time, and today he crossed the line. So that is what is going on here. And he’s a great actor. He is phenomenal at putting on a really good show.”
When she was asked whether she thought he intentionally ran her foot over with his car, she responded: “Obviously. I was standing here. The door was open and I’m leaning into the car. How can you drive the car when I’m leaning into it?”