SASKATOON – A former coach and athletic director for a church school was sentenced on Jan. 18 to two years in jail on charges of sexual assault and sexual exploitation of a minor while in a position of trust or authority. Aaron Travis Benneweis received 708 days concurrent to each other on the two charges. After he is released he will be on probation for three years.
Benneweis, now of Edmonton, Alta., had turned himself into Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) on Jan. 31, 2023. He pleaded guilty in October 2023.
Four former employees of Legacy Christian Academy in Saskatoon were charged. Duff Arthur Friesen, 65, of Prince Albert, was charged with 11 counts of assault with a weapon. John Olubobukun, 63, of Saskatoon, was charged with 12 counts of assault with a weapon. Kenneth R. Schultz, 74, of Saskatoon, was charged with sexual assault and assault with a weapon.
Schultz, Friesen, and Olubobukun have pleaded not guilty and have upcoming court dates in Saskatoon Provincial Court for case management. Schultz is scheduled for Feb. 2, Olubobokun on March 22, and Friesen on March 22 and May 3.
The charges against the four men were the result of an investigation by SPS Interpersonal Violence Section. They say that in August 2022, a report was made to them alleging sexual assaults at Legacy Christian Academy between 2008 and 2012. The victim, a minor at the time, and the accused were known to one another through their affiliation with the Saskatoon faith-based institution.
Legacy Christian Academy is a kindergarten to Grade 12 independent church school that was founded in 1982 and originally called Christian Centre Academy. It is located in Saskatoon’s north end and is associated with Mile Two Church, a non-denominational church.
In August 2022, then Sask. Education Minister Dustin Duncan announced regulatory changes to increase accountability of qualified independent schools in response to abuse allegations about Legacy Christian Academy. The province also increased the number of unscheduled supervised visits to all independent schools.
The province’s actions came before charges were laid against the four accused former staff and after CBC broke a story that former students had filed a lawsuit against Legacy Christian Academy alleging corporal punishment such as paddling, coercion, exorcism, and solitary confinement.
This report by SASKTODAY first published on Jan.19, 2024.
-With files from John Cairns.
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