Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Man linked to former Agape Boarding School booked into Polk County Jail on suspicion of kidnapping, sexual crimes

 The Polk County Courthouse is shown in an undated photo.
Courtesy polkcountymo.org
The Polk County Courthouse is shown in an undated photo.

Ozarks Public Radio has learned that a man once linked to the former Agape Boarding School in Cedar County was booked into the Polk County Jail Wednesday night on suspicion of second-degree sodomy, kidnapping, and three counts of sexual misconduct.

The possible charges were listed in an online roster of people incarcerated at the Polk County Jail as of Friday morning.

46-year-old Scott Dumar was formerly the medical coordinator at Agape Boarding School, an Independent Fundamental Baptist reform school for boys that announced it would shut down in January of this year after years of child abuse allegations.

Missouri court records show that in December, Dumar pleaded guilty to a pair of misdemeanor assault charges and received two years’ probation and a suspended imposition of sentence. Two other felony charges were dismissed.

In late 2021, five individuals were charged with felony assault in relation to abuse allegations at Agape. Dumar was one of them. At the time, the issue created a public conflict between former Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Cedar County Prosecutor Ty Gaither. Schmitt wanted 22 individuals linked to Agape to be charged, with more severe charges.

To learn more, KSMU reached out to the Bolivar Police Department, listed as the agency that arrested Dumar. A police department official referred all questions to a city spokesperson who did not immediately respond to a request for an arrest report.

It is unclear what circumstances allegedly led to Dumar's arrest and booking into the Polk County Jail.

On Friday morning, the Kansas City Star — first to report Dumar's arrest — reported that Polk County Prosecutor Keaton Ashlock was "preparing charges" against Dumar.

Former attendees at Agape Boarding School have described abuse they say they suffered in previous reporting by Ozarks Public Radio, and the school has been subject to numerous civil lawsuits over abuse allegations.

In January, Josh Bradney — a student at Agape in the mid-2010s — said he experienced physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the school.

Gregory Holman is a KSMU reporter and editor focusing on public affairs.