When crime broke out in Netflix’s Ivy Ridge Academy Programnot all involved were arrested for their crimes.
Netflix’s latest investigative documentary, Program: Cons, Cults and Abductionsopened viewers’ eyes to the horrors of New York’s Ivy Ridge, which included various forms of physical and psychological torture.
Katherine Kubler, director of survivors and investigations, detailed that she and other victims spent more than a decade investigating what happened at the facility, hoping to bring those responsible for their suffering to justice.
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Arrests and punishments were seen after the Netflix show
Ahead is an analysis of all the major players involved in The Academy at Ivy Ridge in Ogdensburg, New York, which was the subject of Netflix. Program:
George Tulip
George Tulip worked as the boys’ program director at Ivy Ridge, and was described by victims in the documentary as a tyrant and abuser of children who saw and experienced his practices.
Several allegations have been made against Tulip for his heinous transgressions and an article in Latest Bolly Holly claims that he has since been arrested.
However, this article doesn’t expand much beyond the basics, saying that details about Tulip’s strike and specific potential charges have yet to be released.
At this time, it is impossible to say whether Tulip has been arrested, although the evidence presented in the documentary does not rule out an arrest.
Tom Nichols
Tom Nichols is a former politician who worked as Ivy Ridge’s public relations coordinator to bring a positive spin to the program. He currently pastors the United Methodists of Upper New York in Galilee, New York.
The documentary recounted how he took “marketing photos” of the Ivy Ridge kids who came to their one day a year when they were allowed to be outside playing sports and enjoying nature like normal teenagers.
Unfortunately, there is no current information on the internet about him or his connection to Ivy Ridge, although Katherine Kubler and her crew visited his church on The Program.
When asked about his time at Ivy Ridge, he quickly fell out with Kubler and told him bluntly that he wasn’t going to be involved “60 minutes(-style) featured” of his alleged crimes.
Jason Finlinson
Jason Finlinson served as director of Ivy Ridge and spoke in archival footage of the facility using a level program that “allows children to see where they have been misled.”
Also, he was married to MayBeth Lichfield, whose father held a much higher position in the great system behind Ivy Ridge.
There are currently several lawsuits filed against Finlinson for his work at Ivy Ridge, but this does not include criminal charges. In addition to this, he continues to deny all wrongdoing to this day, and some of that denial is evident in his interviews Program.
David Gilcrease
David Gilcrease played a key role in the Worldwide Association of Specialty Programs (WWASP), which funds and helps create programs like Ivy Ridge.
Specifically, Gilcrease created the WWASP seminars depicted in the Show, which were used to put victims through physical and emotional torture for hours at a time – many of which broke their minds on a daily basis.
There is currently no recent information on Gilcrease, his whereabouts, or his current connection to Ivy Ridge. It is also not known if a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Robert Lichfield
Robert Lichfield is one of the leaders of this troubling story as the founder of WWASP, who reportedly continues to work with organizations like Ivy Ridge to this day.
Lichfield has dropped and stayed off the radar in recent years, and the organization is all but dead, with Horizon Academy in La Verkin, Utah, being the last WWASP facility directly affiliated with Lichfield (according to the screenshot).
The New York Times reported quotes from Lichfield in July 2013, in which he denied all rumors of abuse at his schools and even resigned from the facilities to some extent:
“I cannot answer the allegations against schools that I did not own or manage. I was not present, I did not abuse or mistreat students, and I did not encourage or direct anyone else to do so. I provided business services that were non-supervisory, nursing or care services to independently owned and maintained schools.”
Ken Kay
Ken Kay served for years as WWASP president, although he also denied all allegations of abuse in his organizations and facilities.
According to The Cinemaholic, Kay has avoided any kind of spotlight in the past few years, despite several lawsuits being filed against her for her actions.
Randall Hinton
Randall Hinton is an important character who is not mentioned Programwho founded WWASP’s Royal Gorge Academy boarding school in Canon City, Colorado.
As reported by the Canon City Daily Record , a jury found Hinton guilty of third-degree assault and false imprisonment (one count each). But during that trial, they also found him not guilty of four other counts of third-degree assault and one count of false imprisonment.
Arrests of Ivy Ridge students
As described in Program by a couple of victims (according to The New York Times), 12 teenage students were arrested and jailed after a massive riot at Ivy Ridge after one teenager pulled a fire alarm in a boys’ dormitory in 2005.
After destroying windows and furniture before fighting their way past security guards, the students attempted to flee the facility before several law enforcement officers stopped the riot, leading to arrests.
Program: Cons, Cults and Abductions now streaming in its entirety on Netflix.
