Pricey Celeb Prep School Sued Over Sick "Kissing Club" Sex Assaults & Cover Up| Crime Alert 6PM 12.05.2025

An elite, expensive private prep school is accused of covering up a so-called "kissing club" on campus that enabled students to sexually abuse & torture an 8yo girl. A bombshell lawsuit claims the institution cared more about their reputation than safety. 

The thug who chomped off an elderly woman's finger for a ring - is still on the run, while the 88yo is speaking out about the ordeal.  Plus, a sick bid lands a man behind bars. Jennifer Gould reports. 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime al art hourly update breaking crime news. Now, I'm
Jennifer Gould. The polished, privileged halls of Sierra Canyon School
and Elite Chatsworth Los Angeles Academy, charging more than forty
six thousand dollars a year, concealed a savage secret, a
twisted second grade so called kissing club where older students

(00:23):
allegedly sexually assaulted an eight year old girl. This bombshell
revelation is at the heart of an explosive new civil
lawsuit that charges the institution, a celebrity favorite of the
Kardashians and Jenners and countless NBA offspring, with a systemic,
violent failure of its most basic duty, child protection. The

(00:47):
civil complaint, filed by the victim's parents demands immediate accountability
for the trauma inflicted on their daughter, who was allegedly
bullied and coerced into sickening second victual acts. Here's Sam do'ordooleyan,
the attorney representing the girl's family at the news conference.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
And at first it started with just kissing as far
as we know, on the lips, but eventually it developed
to kissing all throughout the body and including the intimate
private parts.

Speaker 3 (01:18):
The lawsuit claims older students would even spy on the
victim through bathroom stall gaps, leaving her in a constant
state of paralyzing fears, so much so that she would
avoid using the restroom all day while at school. The
most damning allegation targets the school's executive leadership. Attorney's assert

(01:39):
that Sierra Kanyon's staff discovered explicit videos of the acts
recorded on students' phones. Instead of immediately notifying law enforcement
and parents, as mandated by California's stringent child abuse reporting laws,
a teacher allegedly forwarded the footage to her own device

(02:02):
and shared it with colleagues, effectively covering up a felony
crime in a grotesque attempt to shield the school's reputation.
The victim's mom, Pantaea Kipness, revealed she reported earlier concerns
about bullying and bathroom voyeurism in twenty twenty three, only
to be ignored.

Speaker 4 (02:23):
As a mother, the feeling of being hopeless and not
being able to protect my child from this harm that
one hundred percent could have been avoided is crushing.

Speaker 3 (02:36):
Refusing to subject their child to more damage and trauma.
The parents finally yanked her from the campus. Shockingly, the
alleged eight year old ringleader, though was not formally expelled,
merely just left the academy. This marks the second known
so called kissing club lawsuit against Sierra Canyon in a year. Crucially,

(02:58):
the attorneys have confirmed that additional victims have since come forward,
suggesting a potentially far wider and darker pattern of abuse
at the institution. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for emotional distress,
medical costs, and fraud against the institution that promised family

(03:19):
like safety and a strong moral base. Sierra Canyon has
gone radio silent, declining comment on the pending litigation. More
crime and justice news after this. A bloodthirsty maniac is
still on the loose after a shocking daylight assault in

(03:42):
Rainier Beach, Seattle that left eighty eight year old Emma
Cotton maimed and hospitalized. The attack, which unfolded in Cotton's
own backyard, began when a strange man she did not
recognized suddenly approached her from the alleyway and demanded all
her belongings. Cotton tried to walk toward her house for safety,

(04:03):
but that move triggered an immediate and ferocious response from
the criminal. The suspect brutally struck and dragged the octagenarian
into the garage, where the vicious beating intensified. Cotton screamed,
hoping to alert nearby neighbors, but the relentless attack continued.
The brute stole several pieces of jewelry, but his most

(04:27):
grotesque act was reserved for a gold ring worn on
her right hand. Unable to quickly pry the jewelry free,
the suspect, in a shocking display of savagery, bit off
the elderly woman's finger, severing the digit completely, to ensure

(04:47):
he secured the cherished piece. Cotton tells Fox thirteen she
confronted him immediately after the horrible act when he.

Speaker 5 (04:56):
Bit my thing off, and I told him, I said
that what is the lowest thing you could do? And
I said, how would you feel if somebody bits your grandmother?
Are your mother? Fay?

Speaker 3 (05:08):
The physical and emotional consequences of the assault have been severe.
Cotton was rushed to the hospital with multiple broken bones
and serious head injuries, spending weeks completely unable to walk.
She also has persistent intense nightmares. Despite these savage life
altering violation. The remarkable woman says she has since found

(05:31):
the strength to forgive her attacker and praise He seeks
repentance for his terrible actions, though remains on the loose
nearly two months later. The suspect is described as a
black man in his thirties, approximately five foot ten, last
seen wearing a dark hoodie and jeans. Cops have released

(05:53):
surveillance stills, and Seattle Police and crime Stoppers are offering
a reward of up to one thousand dollars for information
leading to his capture. If you have any information regarding
this suspect, call crime Stoppers at one eight hundred two
to two tips and finally, talk about a sick bid.

(06:15):
A truly creepy senior seventy three is now locked up
after he allegedly tried to buy a baby girl right
off her mother at the Angie auction House in Louisiana.
Hawl Jean Penton was at the auction when he reportedly
made a shocking offer to purchase the woman's ten month
old daughter. Talk about auction awfulness. The Washington Parish Sheriff's

(06:40):
officer immediately launched an investigation, turning the auction into a
stakeout and busting the senior in an undercover sting operation.
Penton is now off the market himself and charged with
attempting to buy a minor child. Held on a massive
two hundred thousand dollars bond that'll hopefully close the bid

(07:03):
on his freedom for a long time. For the latest
crime and justice news, follow the Crime Alert hourly update
on your favorite podcast app with this crime Alert. I'm
Jennifer Gould.