Phelps County pastor faces charges of abusing boy, 16

ST. LOUIS -- A Phelps County pastor whose school for troubled boys was raided by authorities last year prepared to face charges this week of abusing a 16-year-old resident.

The Rev. Joseph Intagliata oversees the Hope Baptist Church and Boarding School, which he opened three years ago in abandoned religious compound in St. James, about 90 miles southwest of St. Louis.

He had eight students, enrolled at $1,100 a month, when one of the boys accused Intagliata of child abuse in August. State and local officials raided the school and removed all eight boys, and the school has been barred from reopening since then, Intagliata said.

Intagliata learned last week that he must appear in court today to face charges stemming from the allegations, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Phelps County prosecutor Ken Clayton said that formal charges had not yet been prepared but that he would charge Intagliata with a felony. He and the Phelps County Sheriff's Department are not providing details on the matter.

Clayton said the incident involved a boy who suffered severe cuts when he tried to escape the school by smashing a chair through a window. Once at the hospital, the boy accused the pastor of abuse.

Missouri Department of Social Services records show a review found probable cause of abuse. Intagliata said the state has accused him of severely bruising the boy by paddling him.

Intagliata said his punishments involve little force and that he believes the boy may have bruised himself to get out of the school. The minister criticized the state for defining biblical forms of discipline as child abuse and making the thinnest of allegations more credible.