Facility profile California

Victory Christian Academy

Later called Lighthouse of Northwest Florida

Closed Ramona, California

Victory Christian Academy was a program in Ramona, California. It closed in 1991.

About Victory Christian Academy

It was founded by Pastor Michael Palmer.source

It was located in Ramona, CA until 1992.source

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

  1. 1988 Abuse

    A student suffering from an eating disorder was subjected to having her hair cut, belongings taken, food blended, and being held down on the floor while a funnel was used to force-feed her.source

  2. 1988 Death

    A student named Carey Dunn was killed when a pile of lumber fell on her at VCA.source

  3. 1991 Investigation

    California authorities raided the campus and took legal action regarding unlicensed operation, solitary confinement, and mishandling of prescription drugs.source

  4. 1993 Abuse

    A former student reported being hit over the head with a large heavy KJV Bible as a new girl.source

  5. 2004 Abuse

    Students were forced to sit in silence, rat each other out, and had personal items destroyed when leaving early.source

  6. Reported July 2004 Abuse

    The owner forced a bar of soap down a girl's throat until she bled.source

  7. Reported September 2005 Sexual abuse

    Brother Palmer raped a student while the school operated in California.source

  8. Reported December 2005 Sexual abuse

    A staff member (the Cookstons' daughter) carried out inappropriate relationships with students under her care.source

  9. Reported December 2005 Sexual abuse

    Michael Palmer raped a student named Rebecca.source

  • Fornits lead (news): A Tallahassee Democrat article from February 23, 1997, covers Victory Christian Academy moving from Ramona, CA to Jay, FL to avoid state licensing requirements. (Fornits forum, post by Anonymous, August 2004, source)
  • Fornits lead (other): Victory Christian Academy in Jay, Florida changed its name and leadership to Lighthouse Christian Academy under Pastor Cookston. (Fornits forum, post by Anonymous, June 2007, source)
  • Reported closed on Fornits: Victory Christian Academy closed its facility in Ramona, California rather than submit to state regulations. (Fornits forum, post by Anonymous, August 2004, source)
  • Reported closed on Fornits: Posters mention that the Palmers' previous school was shut down and claim VCA will eventually be closed down due to abuse. (Fornits forum, post by Anonymous, December 2004, source)

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.

198819911992201819882018

  1. 1988

    1. DeathSeptember 23, 1988

      Carey Dunn, 15, died here

      Killed by building materials falling down over her.

      Carey Dunn, 15, died here September 23, 1988

      source

    2. Incident

      Investigation

      After the 1988 death California officials investigated and found the Get Right Room, a small windowless room used for solitary confinement for weeks with taped sermons.

      Investigation

      source

    3. IncidentSeptember 23, 1988

      Death

      On September 23, 1988 a 15-year-old resident was killed when a stack of lumber fell on her during a church construction project on campus.

      Death September 23, 1988

      source

  2. 1991

    1. New name

      Renamed Lighthouse of Northwest Florida

      It had been Victory Christian Academy.

    2. Closed

      Closed

  3. 1992

    1. Incident

      Closure order

      Victory Christian Academy in Ramona, CA was closed in 1992 when officials found health, fire and safety hazards.

      Closure order

      source

    2. Incident

      License action

      In 1992 Michael Palmer and his wife were banned from running any unlicensed facility in California after an investigation into Victory Christian Academy.

      License action

      source

  4. 2018

    1. Lawsuit

      Court opinion - Lighthouse Christian Academy, 2018

      Court opinion - Lighthouse Christian Academy, 2018

      Genesis Ministries, Inc. appealed a summary judgment order concerning the denial of religious tax exemptions for property used to operate a Christian church and school. The appellate court found that Genesis was not entitled to tax exemptions for the years 2005 through 2012 because a separate corporate entity used the property.

      Outcome: Affirmed the trial court's conclusion that Genesis was not entitled to tax exemption from 2005 to 2012, but reversed the grant of summary judgment regarding the 2013 taxes and remanded with instructions to enter summary judgment in favor of Genesis due to inadequate statutory notice.

      Court
      District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District
      Case number
      No. 1D17-4313
      Status
      Unknown

      All lawsuits on record

As Victory Christian Academy

until 1991

Deaths on record

  • Carey Dunn age 15 | September 23, 1988 | Killed by building materials falling down over her. LA Times

Lawsuits

  • Court opinion - Lighthouse Christian Academy, 2018 2018 | Unknown | District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District | No. 1D17-4313 Names this facility

    Outcome: Affirmed the trial court's conclusion that Genesis was not entitled to tax exemption from 2005 to 2012, but reversed the grant of summary judgment regarding the 2013 taxes and remanded with instructions to enter summary judgment in favor of Genesis due to inadequate statutory notice.

    Genesis Ministries, Inc. appealed a summary judgment order concerning the denial of religious tax exemptions for property used to operate a Christian church and school. The appellate court found that Genesis was not entitled to tax exemptions for the years 2005 through 2012 because a separate corporate entity used the property. However, the court ruled that the property appraiser failed to comply with statutory notice requirements when revoking the exemption for the 2013 tax year, invalidating that denial.

Incidents on record

  1. 1988 Investigation

    After the 1988 death California officials investigated and found the Get Right Room, a small windowless room used for solitary confinement for weeks with taped sermons.source

  2. September 23, 1988 Death

    On September 23, 1988 a 15-year-old resident was killed when a stack of lumber fell on her during a church construction project on campus.source

  3. 1992 Closure order

    Victory Christian Academy in Ramona, CA was closed in 1992 when officials found health, fire and safety hazards.source

  4. 1992 License action

    In 1992 Michael Palmer and his wife were banned from running any unlicensed facility in California after an investigation into Victory Christian Academy.source

  5. Closure order

    The school was closed and its owner was told he could not work with children in California until his facility was licensed.source

Staff

Administration

Notable staff

As Lighthouse of Northwest Florida

1991 to 2013

The record kept under this name

News coverage

  • The Kansas City Star Jul 8, 2025 Lawsuit

    Julio Sandoval of Agape Boarding School can’t afford travel to CA trial. So US Marshals will pay

    Julio Sandoval, former dean of students at Agape Boarding School and later director of Lighthouse Christian Academy, will have his travel to a federal criminal trial in California paid by the U.S. Marshals due to financial hardship. Sandoval is charged with illegally transporting a restrained minor from Fresno to Agape in 2021, violating a protective order. He also faces a civil lawsuit from the teen and has other pending legal issues, including a substantiated abuse finding under appeal.

Staff

Notable staff

Videos

This US Child Torture Camp Existed in Ramona, CA - Documentary Filmed on Location of Camp (2018-12-27) Watch on YouTube
Behind the Scenes - Introduction to Victory (2018-10-23) Watch on YouTube
Inside Victory “Christian” Academy - Mackenzie Millar survived a US “torture camp” for kids. (2020-05-22) Watch on YouTube
Jeneen Miller Discusses Child Abuse on "Moments of Clarity", Tiffany Werhner (2019-11-01) Watch on YouTube
The Hammer 🔨 Podcast - Jeneen Miller (2020-06-02) Watch on YouTube
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Names

Ownership

Documents

From the Unsilenced archive

45 documents about Victory Christian Academy that Unsilenced collected and Kids Over Profits does not hold a copy of. They open on Unsilenced's Google Drive. Their whole folder: Victory Christian Academy.

Documents (45)

From SCIAD NET

1 document about Victory Christian Academy that Kids Over Profits does not hold a copy of. SCIAD NET keeps it on Google Drive, where it opens.

Materials and links

Reference and research

From SCIAD NET.

Archived pages

From SCIAD NET.

Other links

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