COLUMBUS, OH – Three men who previously served as teachers or volunteers with LifeWise Academy have been arrested or have pleaded guilty in separate child sex crime cases since mid-April. The men are William VanSickle, Christopher Riggs and Kenneth Holycross III, who worked in Miami, Muskingum and Perry counties at different points. Authorities say the cases involve offenses ranging from voyeurism and sexual imposition to rape. LifeWise says it has received no reports of misconduct involving students in its programming, and it says the men were removed or had already left the organization when the allegations surfaced.
Separate Criminal Cases
Each of the three men has a different legal outcome tied to different charges, but all were connected at some point to the same Ohio-based religious release program. VanSickle, of Perry County, was arrested in mid-April and later pleaded guilty to one count of rape and two counts of sexual battery involving a minor. Riggs, of Muskingum County, was arrested last week and pleaded guilty to voyeurism and gross sexual imposition in a case involving forced sexual contact with a 14-year-old between June and September 2023. Holycross, 41, was arrested Wednesday after multiple reports that he raped children, according to the Miami County sheriff’s office. He faces two rape counts now, and more charges are expected.
Questions Around Program Access
The cases have drawn attention because all three men once worked for LifeWise Academy as teachers or volunteers. LifeWise said none of the reported assaults occurred during its programming, and it said it had not received complaints tied to LifeWise students or activities more broadly. The nonprofit later clarified that its earlier statement was not meant to describe the two guilty pleas as allegations. Holycross was not working with LifeWise when he was arrested, but the sheriff’s office said he had held positions involving authority over minors. VanSickle was removed from his position as soon as the academy learned of his arrest.
How LifeWise Operates
LifeWise is a religious release-time program that takes students out of public school classes and buses them to separate sites for Bible-based instruction. It was founded in 2018 by former Ohio State football player Joel Penton. The organization said all staff and volunteers are screened before serving through ADP Screening and Selection Services, and that students are never left one-on-one with a single adult during programming. LifeWise also said it requires mandated reporter training and other child safety steps, and that multiple adults are present in classrooms and student settings at all times. The group did not say whether any new safeguards will be added.
Critics And Officials Respond
The Secular Education Association, formerly Parents Against LifeWise, said it uncovered the men’s links to the program and argued that the cases show why stronger oversight is needed. Co-founder Molly Gaines said outside watchdogs are often the ones monitoring groups like LifeWise. Co-founder Zach Parrish said it is wrong to dismiss the cases as unrelated, since the men had access to children through the organization. A spokesman for Gov. Mike DeWine said sexual abuse is evil and should be prosecuted wherever it is found. He also noted that Ohio law has required schools to allow participation in programs like LifeWise in some form since 2014, and that the version signed by DeWine made that requirement mandatory rather than optional.
