Jared Leisek: Adventures with Purpose founder arrested for sexually assaulting minor female relative
If you or anyone you know suspects child abuse, you are urged to immediately call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential and the hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
BEND, OREGON: Adventures with Purpose Co-founder, Jared Leisek, has been arrested in a child rape case for allegedly raping a female relative twice in 1992. Following allegations against him in November 2022, he was taken to Sanpete County jail in Utah. Leisek, 47, was reportedly seven years senior to the victim who was aged between nine and ten at the time. An attempt to live stream the court proceedings of Leisek's hearing was made resulting in the cancelation of the court hearing of the three-decade-old crime as it was against the law of the state.
The Oregon-based Adventures with Purpose is a team of divers who conduct search and recovery helping families trace their loved ones who went missing. Founded in 2019, the team documents its efforts on YouTube which has over 2.8 million subscribers. The group has so far helped in tracking down at least 23 missing persons, out of which they were known for leading the search for 16-year-old Kiely Rodni's body and car in August 2022. The teenager's body was located in Prosser Lake in California. However, a few members have resigned from the team following allegations against Leisek.
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Leisek's arrest in 'child rape' case
Leisek who was arrested in January 2023 was first charged with two counts of rape in November 2022, but the reason remains unclear. It is also unclear whether the AWP founder is under police custody. Alongside his booking record, no mention of his bail amount was listed, according to the Daily Mail.
The alleged rape in which Leisek was arrested occurred in 1992 in the alleged victim's bedroom at the house of Leisek's family member in Utah. As per the news outlet, Leisek has once told the victim that he has "made peace" with "all things bad" in his life, "including this."
"I am so very sorry for the things that we cannot change. It is unfortunate that the Leisek and Juhasz lineage experienced the s**t that you, I and many of the other cousins were brought into," he referred to another family unit in his email exchange with the victim, blaming the family's fringe Mormonism history.
"Like yourself, I was once a victim by multiple people both in and out of the family. It is unfortunate when families like ours experience molestation. I have myself tried to apologize to you and to have an open conversation with you about it to answer any questions you may have," he wrote.
The email was sent from AWP's official email address and was signed 'Jared'. According to Daily Mail, he has attempted to apologize to the alleged victim previously. "Not to clear my own conscience, but to help you heal and help with any struggles you may have been having as many of us had to learn how to overcome and move forward," he allegedly told.
"Thank God we are not forever judged for our actions as a youth, and I'm grateful that many of us cousins acknowledged and stopped those sins which happened to us and those sins we once committed as a result of grooming,' he continued after he mentioned that it is "not realistic" to make a 46-year-old "live with the mistakes" committed as a child.