A St. Tammany Parish jury has convicted a well-known Slidell pastor on charges of cruelty to juveniles stemming from his disciplining students at the school he founded.
The jury deliberated around an hour before finding John Raymond, a former “Survivor” participant who is also well-known in St. Tammany Parish political circles, guilty of the charges against him. Monday marked the sixth day of Raymond’s trial, which has been closely watched across St. Tammany.
Raymond faced three felony charges of cruelty to juveniles for taping students’ mouths shut at the Christian school he founded in Slidell, Lakeside Christian Academy. He also faced a second-degree child cruelty charge for allegedly placing his hand over the mouth of a 4-year-old student until that child went limp…