Camp officials accused of dragging girl; Mother testifies about incident

One of two San Antonio-based boot camp officials accused of dragging a 15-year-old girl behind a van in Banquete described the teen as lazy and defiant, the girl’s mother testified Wednesday.

Charles Flowers, 47, and 21-year-old Stephanie Bassitt of Love Demonstrated Ministries boot camp are charged with aggravated assault. They are accused of using a rope to tie camper Siobahn McClintock to a van on June 12 and dragging her behind it.

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The Christian boot camp is a program in which girls and young women spend time at the camp’s San Antonio facility and its site in Banquete.

Siobahn’s mother, Frances McClintock, said Flowers told her he had to “get creative” with her daughter to make progress. He explained when Siobahn fell behind on a morning run he left her with Bassitt and came back with the van.

When he returned, he had Siobahn hold onto a rope tied to the van while he drove no more than 5 miles per hour down the road. McClintock said he told her he made sure Siobahn stayed in the grass.

But McClintock said after hearing her daughter’s account she pulled her out of the camp.

Photos taken of the girl, now 16, showed she had scrapes all over her body and a bruised and swollen face.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I was in shock,” she said.

McClintock said since the incident her daughter has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and no longer wants to attend church or participate in her high school’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

“She’s lost faith in a lot of things because of what happened to her,” she said.

Defense attorneys argued the Floresville teen had actually quit the school’s program months before even going to camp after she cursed at her instructor.

Testimony in the trial will continue today in 347th District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos’ court.

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