A California pastor, Lonny Remmers, and two alleged accomplices, Nick Craig, 22, and Darryll Jeter Jr., 28, reportedly forced a 13-year-old boy to dig his own grave and beat him with a shovel as a form of discipline. The young teen was apparently taken to the Pastor of Heart of Worship church in Corona, California for counsel. The boys mother brought him to the church, which houses itself in a strip mall storefront, to help her mange her son’s behavior.
The abuse allegedly started on March 18 when the boy was dropped off by his mother and put into the care of Remmers. Remmers reportedly enlisted Craig and Jeter to help reprogram the boy to get him to behave. Remmers asked the men to scare the boy.
The men reportedly took the boy 100 miles away from his home and allegedly forced him to dig his grave while they beat him with a shovel and buried the him halfway in the grave. The boy was then allegedly taken to the Pastor’s house where he was forced to read the Bible while the Pastor reportedly tortured him with pliers.
According to WGHP, the boy and his 7-year-old sister have been taken from their mother and placed into CPS custody. Their mother, 30, was reportedly staying at one of the Churches group homes and has since moved into another group home while police continue to investigate.
All three perpetrators were apprehended and charged with nine felonies including kidnapping, torture, child abuse and conspiracy. If convicted, Pastor Remmers could face up to seven years in prison while Craig and Jeters could face up to 19 years.