This was the story I covered yesterday afternoon. Does it go without saying that I was absolutely turning GREEN in the courtroom!?!? Note: The final version wasn't posted on the Web site today, so this is my hard copy. I'm guessing not much changed, however.
CROWN POINT – Testimony began Monday in the civil trial against a church whose annual New Year’s Eve youth lock-in was either a typical teen gathering or dangerous, unsanitary church recruiting.
Opening arguments were heard and one witness was called in the suit against Living Stones Fellowship in Crown Point and The Cause Youth Foundation, which holds a New Year’s Eve lock-in for teens. Four boys who attended the Dec. 31, 2001 party – Brandon Gomez, Manuel “Lee” Gomez, Bryan Gomez, of Dyer and Tomas Thain — at Omni 41 Sports Center have sued the church for battery, negligence, intentional infliction, fraud and false imprisonment for events that occurred at that party.
Merrillville attorney John Bushemi, who represents the four boys, presented during opening arguments clips of video tapes that were taken at the party. The first clip showed Living Stones’ pastor, Ron Johnson, who’s also named in the suit, engaging the crowd in a food eating game, whereby audience members could volunteer to guess for a $50 gift certificate to Best Buy a mystery food fed to them. Brandon Gomez and Lee Gomez, then 14 and 13 at the time, volunteered as did two girls.
Once the four children were on stage, Johnson and an assistant unveiled the “Veg-o-matic,” which was church member Ryan Boyles sitting on a stool behind a counter. The assistant took food, including eggnog, sardines, cottage cheese, dog food, sauerkraut, salsa and potted meat, and put it in Boyles’ mouth. Johnson then tapped Boyles on the head, and Boyles would chew the food and spit it back into a bowl.
Johnson asked the participants whether they wanted to proceed; the girls stepped down, while Brandon Gomez and Lee Gomez drank the mixture.
Later that night, Bushemi said the defendants had children go to a
storage room where they were preached at by Derrick “D.J.” Crofford and Colin Adams, also named in the suit, who refused to let them leave until they provided personal information.
Lee Gomez, now 17 and a student at Lake Central High School, testified that when he returned home Jan. 1, 2002, he felt “nauseated, had stomach pain and threw up.” The next day, his mother and aunt took him and his cousin Brandon to the doctor, where they were both tested for HIV, Hepatitis B, strep throat, and tuberculosis. They were put on medicine for several weeks.
Highland attorney Richard Long for the defense said in his opening remarks that the event was meant to be fun and that nothing in the video clips would prove otherwise.
”Did you see any deception or trickery? You won’t find that there’s any,” Long said. “You won’t see anyone barricaded, and Ron will tell you he takes responsibility. There was nothing going on behind closed doors.”
Long said that the boys made a choice to be separated before midnight to receive information about God and that everyone was given the same information. It’s just that the four boys weren’t listening.
”The girls (who were also separated) listened; the boys heard,” Long said. “There’s nothing wrong with what went on.”
The suit is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
Oh, whatEVER. 
