Facility profile Utah

Cross Creek Programs

Closed La Verkin, Utah

Cross Creek Programs was a specialty boarding school in La Verkin, Utah. It operated from 1988 to 2012.

About Cross Creek Programs

It opened in 1987. It was marketed as Youth Foundation Inc. from 2012.source Location is now a motel, part of the facility closed off and abandoned.source It merged with Horizon Academy on the Cross Creek campus.source It was run by WWASP.source It closed.source

It cost about $4,495 per month.source Stays lasted 16-18 months (boys), 12-14 months (girls).source

Cross Creek Programs was licensed by Utah Department of Human Services for years using a fake address.source 1, source 2 It was a member of WWASP/WWASPS program.source

Also drawn on: Wikipedia, Cross Creek Programs.

Survivor testimony

What people who lived or worked here say happened. Survivors' own words are published with their permission; forum accounts are what was posted publicly and are reported as claims, not findings.

Reported on survivor forums

Timeline

From the records: who ran it and the deals that moved it, its names, and the deaths, incidents, inspection findings, lawsuits and news stories on file. Point at an event, or tap "More about this", for the details.

1988200620112012201319882013

  1. 1988

    1. Opened

      Opened in La Verkin, Utah

  2. 2006

    1. Incident

      Lawsuit

      In 2006 a lawsuit on behalf of nearly 30 plaintiffs was filed against Cross Creek and other WWASP facilities alleging widespread physical and psychological...

      Lawsuit

      In 2006 a lawsuit on behalf of nearly 30 plaintiffs was filed against Cross Creek and other WWASP facilities alleging widespread physical and psychological abuse; Cross Creek stayed open.

      source

  3. 2011

    1. IncidentJune 2011

      Abuse

      Survivor Xandir O'Cando recalled abuse at Cross Creek Program for LGBT and troubled teens (Examiner.com, June 14, 2011).

      Abuse June 2011

      source

  4. 2012

    1. Closed

      Closed

  5. 2013

    1. IncidentJune 2013

      Incident

      HEAL received a Washington County Sheriff Police Dispatch Log regarding Cross Creek on June 27th, 2013.

      Incident June 2013

      source

Incidents on record

  1. 2006 Lawsuit

    In 2006 a lawsuit on behalf of nearly 30 plaintiffs was filed against Cross Creek and other WWASP facilities alleging widespread physical and psychological abuse; Cross Creek stayed open.source

  2. Abuse

    Survivors report violent restraints and solitary confinement as punishments for minor violations, food and sleep deprivation, being left outside in extreme temperatures and psychological abuse.source

  3. June 2011 Abuse

    Survivor Xandir O'Cando recalled abuse at Cross Creek Program for LGBT and troubled teens (Examiner.com, June 14, 2011).source

  4. June 2013 Incident

    HEAL received a Washington County Sheriff Police Dispatch Log regarding Cross Creek on June 27th, 2013.source

  5. Sexual abuse

    Many survivors report being sexually abused while at Cross Creek.source

News coverage

  • KUTV Feb 14, 2025 Arrest

    Utah treatment center closes abruptly after history of violations and abuse

    Three Points Center, a residential treatment program in Hurricane, Utah, closed abruptly on February 14, giving families just ten days to respond. The facility, which served adopted teens, had a documented history of abuse, including 14 state violations for improper restraints, physical aggression, and verbal abuse. Reports included a staff member throwing furniture at a child and injuring another during an unnecessary intervention. Founded by Dr. Norm Thibault, the center had direct ties to the discredited WWASP network, with leaders previously working at Cross Creek and Liahona Academy. Child rights attorney Dawn J. Post also linked the program to an abusive facility in the U.S. through her investigation of Youth Division Academy in Jamaica. Post raised additional concerns about staff with criminal histories and a pattern of hiring unqualified workers. One reported employee had a 2013 charge for child abuse material and a 2024 felony obscenity conviction. Utah laws allowing parents to force teens into treatment until age 18—with no consent required from the child—make the state a hub for such facilities. Critics fear current residents will be quietly transferred to other institutions without review or accountability.

  • Reason Jun 27, 2007 Expose

    Mitt Romney's Campaign Connections to Abusive Adolescent Treatment Programs

    The article examines the connections between presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign fundraisers and residential treatment programs facing widespread allegations of abuse. Founders Robert Lichfield of the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS) and Mel Sembler of Straight Inc. faced numerous lawsuits and investigations regarding allegations of physical restraint, food and sleep deprivation, and psychological abuse.

Videos

Graduation from Cross Creek Academy Watch on YouTube
Mike and Carla's deposition regarding the rescue of their son from Cross Creek - Part 1 Watch on YouTube
Here's What Survivors of a 'Troubled Teen' Program Say Went On Inside Watch on YouTube
Part 2 Watch on YouTube
Link to Interview with Cross Creek Survivor Watch on YouTube
Cross Creek Watch on YouTube
Part 3 Watch on YouTube
Cross Creek Academy WWASP HELL ON EARTH Watch on YouTube
Cross Creek Programs in La Verkin, Utah WWASP 2020 (2020-10-16) Watch on YouTube
The HEAL Report: Episode 44: Cross Creek Exposed! (Redux) (2016-07-02) Watch on YouTube
1 of 10

Staff

Administration

Notable staff

Connections on the network map

The companies, people and programs our research map ties to this program. Open it on the network map.

Ownership

Documents

Documents on file (3)
Woodbury Reports Mentions (1)
Merged from: Horizon Academy (1)
Woodbury Reports Mentions (1)

From the Unsilenced archive

302 documents about Cross Creek Programs that Unsilenced collected and Kids Over Profits does not hold a copy of. They open on Unsilenced's Google Drive. Their whole folder: Cross Creek Programs.

Documents (295)
Pictures (2)
Program Documents (2)
Survivor Stories (3)

From SCIAD NET

3 documents about Cross Creek Programs that Kids Over Profits does not hold a copy of. SCIAD NET keeps them on Google Drive, where they open.

Court records: case 1 (2001) (1)
Court records: case 2 (2001) (1)
News clippings (1)

Wiki entries

Materials and links

External links

A program's own website is linked as an archived snapshot, so the page reads as it did when it was captured.

Survivor posts and discussion

Advertising and marketing listings

Reference and research

23 of these from SCIAD NET.

Archived pages

3 of these from SCIAD NET.

Other links

Record updated . Generated from the Kids Over Profits facility database. Suggest a correction